Joe Royer TE Cincinnati | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Joe Royer TE Cincinnati
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| ROLE: Inline Multi-Role TE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 05/19/2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 40 time: 4.65 seconds (80%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ROLE: Inline Multi-Role TE | |
| Last Updated: 05/19/2025 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| 40 time: 4.65 seconds (80%*) | |
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| Overall Rating: | 86.0 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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74% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 88.5 | |
| Hands: |
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70% |
| Short Receiving: |
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70% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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75% |
| Deep Threat: |
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62% |
| Blocking: |
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62% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
2nd - Mid
Overall Rank:
#49
Position rank:
#2
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| College Games: 20 College Snaps: 742 | ||
ESPN RATING: 80/100
College Combine Results
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247 RATING: 92/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.6 (92%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cade Otton - Washington |
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88% |
| Terrance Ferguson - Oregon |
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84% |
| Jeremy Ruckert - Ohio State |
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82% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Born in Ohio and raised in the Cincinnati area, Joe Royer has come full circle in his collegiate journey. The 6'5", 255-pound tight end from Elder High School began his career at Ohio State where he appeared in 14 games over three seasons before transferring back to his hometown Cincinnati Bearcats. His return home proved transformational as Royer exploded onto the national scene in 2024, breaking the Cincinnati single-season reception record for tight ends with 50 catches - surpassing the previous mark set by future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce (45).Royer's journey has been marked by perseverance through personal struggles, including the devastating loss of his mother during his time at Ohio State. His return to Cincinnati represented more than just a football decision - it was a homecoming that rekindled his passion for the game. Under the guidance of tight ends coach Jordan Stepp, Royer found his footing again, crediting the coach with "helping save his football career" after he "lost the love of the game for a while."
The former consensus four-star recruit and top-10 player in Ohio has flourished in Cincinnati's tight-end heavy offense, earning All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2024. Despite having opportunities to enter the 2025 NFL Draft with invitations to the Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl, Royer elected to return for his final season at Nippert Stadium with the goal of being the first tight end selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. His decision speaks to his commitment to development and his belief that his best football is still ahead of him.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Shows exceptional body control and spatial awareness, adjusting to poorly thrown balls with natural fluidity rarely seen in bigger tight ends.
- Displays soft, reliable hands with a catch radius that makes him a quarterback's best friend in tight windows and contested situations.
- Creates separation on intermediate routes with deceptive acceleration and subtle head fakes that consistently move linebackers off their spots.
- Runs angry after the catch, showing a nasty competitive streak when fighting through arm tackles and working for extra yardage.
- Exhibits excellent football intelligence, finding soft spots in zone coverage and presenting a clean target with perfect timing.
- Possesses impressive athletic testing numbers that translate to game speed, with a 4.65 forty time that shows up on film.
- Demonstrates patient route discipline, allowing plays to develop before hitting his breaks with precise timing and footwork.
- Shows tremendous growth trajectory with significant year-over-year improvement, suggesting his ceiling remains untapped.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Still developing as a blocker with inconsistent hand placement and leverage that limits his effectiveness at the point of attack.
- Shows occasional lapses in concentration, as evidenced by his fumble in the endzone against Miami (Ohio) when fighting for extra yardage.
- Could improve functional strength, particularly in his lower body, to better anchor against edge defenders in the run game.
- Sometimes rounds off his cuts on breaking routes, telegraphing his intentions to savvy defensive backs.
- Must prove durability over a full NFL season given his limited playing time during three seasons at Ohio State.
Scouting Report: Summary
Royer is a matchup problem that defensive coordinators will lose sleep over. His natural receiving ability shows up most prominently on medium routes where he displays veteran-like understanding of leveraging his frame against smaller defenders. Despite this prowess in the passing game, his development as a blocker remains a work in progress – he'll need dedicated coaching to improve his hand placement and leverage at the point of attack.The former Buckeye turned Bearcat brings a competitive fire to every snap, fighting through tackles with a determination that sometimes borders on recklessness. This double-edged sword was evident when he fumbled in the endzone against Miami while battling for extra yards. His route running shows promise but inconsistency – at times displaying nuanced footwork that freezes linebackers, while occasionally rounding off breaks that savvy NFL defensive backs will jump.
Royer's ceiling will ultimately be determined by how quickly he can elevate his blocking to match his receiving talents. If he continues on his current developmental trajectory, he has the athletic profile and competitive mentality to become a three-down tight end who stays on the field in any situation.
How other scouting services rate Joe Royer (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
385.0
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
21.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.