Former Ohio State football player Joe Royer made the decision to transfer out of the program prior to the 2024 season. He did so in order to have a better opportunity for playing time, as well as going to a program that features the tight end more in the passing game.
Royer decided to head to Cincinnati, so he stayed in the state of Ohio. Moving to that program allowed him to still play P6 football while still staying in the state. He played well, catching 50 passes for 522 yards and three touchdowns. He only had four total catches during his time with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
As Royer gets ready to head into another season, the tight end was given a surprising draft grade for the 2025 NFL Draft, which Royer decided not to enter. His coach, Scott Satterfield, revealed the draft grade during Big 12 Media Day.
Former Ohio State tight end had a surprisingly high draft grade for the 2025 NFL Draft
According to Satterfield, Ryoer was given a third or fourth-round grade by NFL scouts. Yet, Royer decided to stick around for another year with the Bearcats. He believes that he can have a higher draft position than that, so he is going to try to raise his draft stock.
Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield said that TE Joe Royer returned to become the first tight end picked in NFL Draft after being given 3rd/4thround grade last year.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 8, 2025
Also, no expectations for limitations on star DT Dontay Corleone: “He’s going to be like he was before.”
Royer thinks he's good enough to be the first tight end off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is certainly a high expectation for himself. He is going to have a lot of competition for that, including from current Ohio State tight end Max Klare.
It's good to see Royer thriving at another program. He was seldom used by the Buckeyes, so fans should be happy to see him getting some playing time at another school in the state of Ohio. It would be surprising if Royer was selected in the first round of next year's NFL Draft, though.
Some Ohio State football fans would be mad if he did develop into a first-round pick away from the program. Personally, I would be happy that he was able to believe in himself enough to go to a lesser program and still be that good.