Expect Pitt OT Carter Warren to Switch Positions with Jets

With the tackle spot crowded in New York, Pitt Panthers tackle Carter Warren could have to bump inside.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are losing a three-year starter at left tackle after Carter Warren was selected by the New York Jets with the 120th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. It will feel like a familiar situation for Warren, who is from northern New Jersey and will play with fellow former Panthers Jordan Whitehead and Israel Abanikanda, but there is one major part of his football identity that could change upon arrival in New York. 

Warren jumped into the starting lineup quickly after arriving at Pitt, but his path to significant playing time for the Jets will likely be much less direct. He will arrive in New York as the youngest guy in a room flushed with veteran offensive linemen, especially at his natural position of tackle. Mahki Becton, Duane Brown and Max Mitchell combine to eat up most of the snaps at both tackle spots. That will make finding playing time difficult for Warren - unless he is able to shift to the interior. 

That's something teams - presumably the Jets included - asked Warren about when he met with them at the NFL Combine last month. Warren doesn't have any game experience playing anywhere else but left tackle, although he claims that he did take practice reps at guard and right tackle. 

"A lot of teams were asking me if I can play right tackle or if I could possibly play guard, to which my answer was yes," Warren said at the NFL Combine podium. "I can do it all."

Whether he can at the NFL level will be put to the test right away. Scouts and analysts reached a consensus during the draft process that Warren needed to add strength before he becomes a full-time left tackle in the NFL. With that likely further down the road, the smooth blindside blocker will have to make the most of his opportunities on the inside. 

Alijah Vera-Tucker and Laken Tomlinson are currently holding down the guard spots for New York and they have used two first-round picks on offensive linemen within the past three years, but they will accept nothing less than the best protectors with aging star Aaron Rodgers as the new starting quarterback after a blockbuster trade. 

Warren will, of course, have to be solid no matter the position he plays. But if the goal is to find his way onto the field as soon as possible, then he will likely need to walk the path teams laid out for him at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis and bump in from the premium position of left tackle while he develops into his full potential. 

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