Joe
Royer.
Joe
Royer.
Cincinnati· 6'5"· 247 lb
R5 · #170 · Cleveland Browns"Late-blooming Cincinnati move tight end who bet on himself after three quiet Ohio State years and reset the program's TE reception record; TE2/3 body-catcher who wins over the middle more than down the seam."Pre-draft read
Flexed 'move' Y spends most snaps detached — slot, wing, or bunch — working the middle where linebackers hesitate. His long torso and low-cut base allow him to make intermediate cuts without gathering. His release package is basic but functional: quick jab, split, sit. He is a primary body catcher, plucking with a wide frame and maintaining possession through contact on tape. His route tree stays inside 15 yards: option, sit, cross, delayed flat, angle.
He is not a vertical stem separator once corners recover, struggling to reignite tempo after decelerating on option routes. As a blocker, he is a technician-in-progress, fitting base blocks with good body control and adequate radar. However, he leaks anchor against edge power and loses the point when he does not win first contact.
The Cleveland Browns' wide zone run scheme, heavily influenced by Shanahan principles, demands versatile tight ends capable of both run blocking and receiving.
He projects as a Year 1 situational receiver working the middle of the field, with the ceiling to become a starting "move" tight end with improved blocking technique.
A vertical-oriented Air Raid or purely pass-catching spread RPO scheme would expose his limited downfield separation and blocking deficiencies.
Royer's receiving skill set fits well short-to-intermediate, but his developmental blocking will dictate his long-term viability in a run-heavy system like the Browns'.
Sorsby 4 TDs vs Oklahoma State — Royer YAC on shallow cross
Body-catch on a shallow crosser, breaks the linebacker tackle and chunks 15 extra — the signature Royer YAC rep.
Cincinnati TE Joe Royer — 2026 NFL Combine presser
Combine interview where Royer walks through the Ohio State-to-Cincinnati transfer arc and the coping window after his mother's death.
Prospect Profile: Joe Royer
Short-form breakdown of Royer's move-Y usage at Cincinnati and the TE2/3 projection heading into Day 3.
Joe Royer projected as a receiving-first tight end due to his ability to play a detached 'move' Y role, capable of working the intermediate areas of the field. His reliable hands and capacity to maintain possession through contact made him a consistent target, particularly on third downs. His athletic testing placed him in the mid-tier among tight ends, aligning with a Day 3 projection.
Royer transferred to Cincinnati as a fifth-year senior after three seasons at Ohio State. He immediately broke the program's tight end reception record with 50 catches for 521 yards and three scores in 2024. His production showed he could handle volume despite playing in an offense that cycled quarterbacks his senior year. Evaluators noted his production often benefited from schemed looks and busted coverages, and his effectiveness diminished on vertical routes. Teams viewed him as a developmental option who needed to improve his blocking strength to secure a long-term roster spot.
Concerns centered on his limited vertical threat and his inconsistent anchor against power on the edge. He was considered a late-clock, high-mileage prospect, turning 24 as a rookie, which shortened his developmental runway. The consensus placed him as a mid-round pick, and he was ultimately drafted 170th overall.
- 01
Reliable middle-of-the-field hands
Hangs on through violent collisions and body-catches high throws over the middle; NFL evaluators repeatedly flagged combat catches most Day 3 tight ends drop.
- 02
Program-record separator underneath
Broke Travis Kelce's Cincinnati TE reception mark with 50 grabs in 2024, showing he can carry volume against Big 12 linebackers when featured in the game plan.
- 03
Foot quickness in and out of breaks
Long-torso, low-cut build lets him drop his pad level on option routes and sits without wasted steps, giving quarterbacks a predictable target on third-down window throws.
- 04
Competitive after the catch
Doesn't go down on first contact on shallow crossers and drags defenders for extra yardage; the second-effort rep is a real trait, not a highlight-reel outlier.
- 05
Positional flexibility across formations
Comfortable flexed in the slot, in-line as a check release, or as a lead-blocker across the formation, giving offensive coordinators multiple ways to sneak him on the field.
- 01
Diminishing threat vertically
Catch productivity falls off as the route travels; safeties don't respect his seam speed and NFL corners can carry him without help over the top.
- 02
Route re-acceleration is choppy
Struggles to reignite tempo after slowing his feet on option routes, giving off-coverage defenders time to close the throwing window on second-reaction breaks.
- 03
Anchor at the point of attack
Struggles to hold ground against power on the edge and gets walked back on down blocks against interior defenders playing with leverage.
- 04
Production leaned on scheme
Evaluators noted he benefited from schemed looks and busted coverages in 2024; the raw separation wins against man coverage are thinner than the volume suggests.
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Ohio State | 5 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| 2022 | Ohio State | 6 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
| 2023 | Ohio State | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 2024 | Cincinnati | 12 | 51 | 532 | 3 |
| 2025 | Cincinnati | 13 | 29 | 416 | 4 |
| Career | — | 40 | 84 | 972 | 7 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- Brendan SorsbyQB37%
- Samaj JonesQB12%
- Cyrus AllenWR8%
#5 of 17 tracked contributors · Produced in line with his snap share · Offense explosiveness 1.32 (p76) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Steady TE2 who wins on option routes and combat catches without carrying a heavy vertical target share.
Big-body Y who evolved into a chain-mover after a slow start — realistic ceiling if Royer's blocking catches up to his hands.
Athletic frame that never solved the blocking piece and got stuck as a special-teams reserve — the outcome if the anchor doesn't come.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
**Pre-draft context.** Royer spent three years buried on Ohio State's tight end depth chart, missed time in 2022 after the death of his mother Michelle, and transferred home to Cincinnati as a fifth-year senior. He answered by breaking Travis Kelce's program tight end reception record in 2024 (50-521-3) and earning All-Big 12 First Team, then followed with a quieter 29-416-4 senior season on an offense that cycled quarterbacks. At the Combine he measured 6'5 1/8", 247 with 31 1/2" arms and a 10 3/4" hand, and tested athletically enough for the mid-round tight end tier without hitting a headline number.
**NFL fit — Cleveland Browns.** Cleveland took him at pick 170 as the developmental partner to David Njoku and a schemed target for a shallow-cross and play-action menu. The immediate role is TE3 with sub-package receiving reps out of 12 personnel — the exact fit where Royer's body-catch radius, option-route feel and YAC willingness translate. Special teams work will decide the roster spot; blocking growth against NFL edges decides whether he ever climbs to a TE2 rotation.
**Retrospective (early).** The pick is a bet on trajectory, not tape volume. Two-year starter, one dominant season, and a mid-Combine grade tell you exactly what he is right now: a receiving-first Y whose ceiling depends on how quickly he can hold up as an in-line blocker in an outside-zone game. Get that piece and the fifth-round price looks like value; miss it and he becomes a matchup-only body who lives on the practice-squad line.