He’s taking the long, winding, challenging path to the NFL, but all Lindenwood’s Gareth Warren wants is a chance.
The undrafted free agent is getting that chance with the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, as the Hawaii native is set to compete in the Steelers’ rookie minicamp May 9-11 at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side.
Warren accepted his invite to the Steelers’ rookie minicamp after going undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft, despite competing in the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl and drawing some attention as one of the better small-school sleepers in the draft.
Now, the Steelers are set to give him a shot later this week.
For Warren, that is all he wants. During an interview with KHON News in Hawaii, Warren stated that getting a shot with the Steelers in an NFL rookie minicamp is a dream come true for him, and he’s setting out to show kids from Hawaii that if they work hard, they can make things happen.
“Right now, it’s just preparing the best as I can for camp. You know, this is something you dream about from a young age, right?” Warren said of the invite to Steelers’ rookie minicamp, according to video via KHON New’s Rob DeMello on X. “When I started football around like seven or eight years old, just put in a lot of hard work and then just to see it like in reality now is just crazy.
“Words can’t really explain the emotion. It’s like, it’s crazy, but I’m ready to go out there and just put in that work.”
After a standout career at Lindenwood, Warren now has a chance to force his way onto the Steelers’ 90-man offseason roster with a strong performance at rookie minicamp. He’ll be among a number of players who accepted invites and will try to earn a roster spot.
At Lindenwood, Warren was a first-team All-OVC selection in 2024, playing left tackle the past two seasons after playing guard in 2022. The FCS product brings good size at 6051, 330 pounds with 33 3/8-inch arms and has the versatility to play inside or outside.
In a scouting report for Steelers Depot, Tom Mead praised Warren for his snap quickness and play strength, having this to say about the small-school product.
“Warren has experience at guard and tackle with the athleticism to play on either side. He has good size and length, solid mental processing, and a good motor. As a pass blocker, he plays with good balance and hand placement and uses a chop to get rusher off balance. He has a good anchor and has solid mobility on screens.
“As a run blocker, he uses very good play strength and quickness at the snap to engage quickly and try to move defenders. He has the mobility to pull in either direction and climb to the second level. He blocks to the whistle and sustains his blocks.”
Mead had a sixth-round grade on Warren, so there’s some talent there to work with. He’s one of two known offensive linemen who will take part in the Steelers’ rookie minicamp, Pittsburgh native Dom Serapiglia III out of Central Michigan the other one.
Having that opportunity to put on an NFL uniform and work under the guidance of NFL coaches will be huge for Warren. In the process, he’s hoping to show kids from Hawaii that it’s possible to put in the work and have your dreams come true.
“Yeah, I hope to motivate a lot, especially boys on the Big Island, man,” Warren said to DeMello. “Like, I grew up there, born and raised there and like a lot of the people probably watching, they’re gonna be like, ‘Yeah, this kid, he came from over here and he put in the work.’ I try to serve the community as much as possible and just show the kids on the Big Island and like all of Hawaii, if you just put in the work, you are gonna see it pay off.”
Hopefully Warren’s hard work pays off this weekend and he earns a spot on the Steelers’ offseason roster with a shot to enter training camp. He’s had a good career at the FCS level and was talented enough to earn a spot in the 2025 East-West Shrine Game.
That talent could be a nice developmental piece for the Steelers to work with.
