One of the top draft prospects reveals how the Commanders were on his mind every time he put his jersey on
Inspiration comes in all kinds of different forms for football players. They typically have their own unique story that anchors their love and approach for the game and it's usually something from their childhood or younger years.For Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, last year's Mackey Award winner, the Washington Commanders are a source of […]
Inspiration comes in all kinds of different forms for football players. They typically have their own unique story that anchors their love and approach for the game and it's usually something from their childhood or younger years.
For Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, last year's Mackey Award winner, the Washington Commanders are a source of his inspiration. More specifically, it was Hall of Famer and Commanders legend John Riggins that paved the way for Warren as a kid.
With some help from his own father, of course.
"I wear No. 44 because when I was younger, my dad put on John Riggins' film and said 'This is how I want you to run the ball,'" Warren told reporters at the NFL Combine on Wednesday. "… Me personally, I'm not really focused on trying to be better than other people. I'm just trying to be the best tight end I can be and I think that's helped me. Just doing whatever's needed within an offense is what I focus on and I try to be good at a lot of different things so I can fill a lot of different roles within an offense."
Riggins' running style is one the NFL remembers to this day. He constantly ran through defenders, bouncing off them like they were JV players, en route to a career that finished with over 11,000 rushing yards, 100+ rushing touchdowns, a Super Bowl ring, and eventually a Hall of Fame bust. He also reset the NFL record for most rushing touchdowns with 24 in 1983. Emmitt Smith later broke that record with 25 in 1995.
Riggins wasn't just powerful, though. He had deceptive long speed, noted by his career-long of 66-yards. He was also quite the character off-the-field, which was refreshing and borderline groundbreaking, at the time.
Warren is arguably the best tight end in this draft class and is likely to go in the first round of the draft. As mentioned earlier, he won the John Mackey award last year, which goes to the nation's top tight end. The former Nittany Lion caught 104 passes for 1,233-yards, and eight touchdowns during his senior year. He even added 218 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 26 carries, good for 8.4 yards each tote.
The 104 receptions led the country and the outstanding final season helped Warren finish his career with 153 receptions for 1,833-yards, and 19 touchdowns.
And hey, as it just so happens, the Commanders could be in the market for a tight end come draft time. How awesome would that be when talking about coming full-circle?
