“Kansas City, baby, we’re back at it for at least one more year.” Travis Kelce announced back in March that he is coming back for one last hurrah in 2025. Coming off his worst statistical season outside of his rookie campaign, Kelce is expected to leave the Chiefs Kingdom once his contract expires. So, the question in Kansas City has shifted from whether their future Hall of Famer tight end will come back to how we replace him. Well, the Chiefs do have an ideal replacement in last year’s John Mackey Award winner. But it seems they don’t have a clear shot at landing the nation’s top TE prospect, who is all but expected to be off the board early.

This past year, Tyler Warren has emerged as a blue-chip prospect in the upcoming draft. Putting up monstrous numbers, 104 receptions for 1,233 yards and 8 TDs, Warren offers more than just a safe pair of hands in the offense. His unreal combination of size, strength, agility, and body control has even earned him comparisons to legendary TE Rob Gronkowski. So, with explosive numbers and incredible game footage backing up his stock, Warrent is viewed as a top 10 prospect at the very least.

With the Chiefs having the 31st overall, they need to pull off a Patrick Mahomes-like trade. Otherwise, it’s all but certain the Chiefs won’t find their Travis Kelce replacement. Bears having the No.10 pick are heavily expected to draft Tyler Warren. Their safety, Jaquan Brisker, a former teammate of Warren, has already expressed his desire to reunite in Chicago. “He’s an amazing football player. He got even better. I’m excited to see where he goes. I mean, him and Cole Kmet would be crazy. It would be one of the best duos all around the league. I feel like it’d be amazing, but we’ll see,” Brisker quipped. Warren could fit seamlessly into Ben Johnson’s offensive scheme in the Windy City. Why?

Because Warren can be the trick-play specialist Johnson would love to have. Remember the stumble-bum play the Lions used against the Bears last season? Detroit ran it on a first-down call in the third quarter with a 27-14 lead. Jared Goff fake-stumbled while running back Jahmyr Gibbs jumped as Lions players started shouting “fumble, fumble!” Johnson’s plan worked just right enough for TE Sam LaPorta to take his position. Goff hit him with a 21-yard TD dagger as the Lions captured a 34-14 lead that was enough for a win.

So, considering Warren, who played 39 snaps as a QB last year. Johnson could use him to continue pulling off those trick plays in Chicago. As for the Chiefs, missing out on Warren could prove costly in their search to replace Kelce once he does retire.

Tyler Warren: The mirror image of Travis Kelce 

Warren isn’t just an explosive TE who can block and score TDs whenever required. He comes with a versatility that the Chiefs have only seen in Travis Kelce. Both Warren and Kelce played basketball and baseball in their high school days. Hell, Kelce was even a starting QB at his Cleveland Heights high school. Tyler and Travis were both trained as QBs and also come at similar sizes: 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds plus. So, obviously, Warren is going to garner a huge interest from Kansas City. Kelce is only going to be there for another season.

His numbers have already started dropping steadily. And if he again struggles like last year, then the Chiefs might be forced to even bench him. On that note, Warren could come in and steer the ship. Having the elite traits of a tight end, Warren can seamlessly fit in Reid’s offensive scheme of things. Among his range of capabilities, there’s one statistic that helps Warren stand out even more. “I think his yards after the catch are so important. I think he owns the middle of the field,” former Lions QB Dan Orlovsky said.

Warren apparently has 700 yards in that category, which means he can rush through defenses with his eyes closed and football strongly gripped in his arms. You don’t really get to see receivers blocking for tight ends. But Warren’s case is special. His film in Penn State didn’t just include him blocking for his wide-outs. It was more of them blocking for him. So, something similar could also happen in Kansas City next season. But obviously, it depends upon their willingness to move up and make Warren the heir-apparent to Travis Kelce.