An Ohio State TE first at the draft; Joe Royer's journey; Terry Moore insight: NFL Combine notes
Ohio State nuggets from Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine
INDIANAPOLIS — It could’ve been because Will Kacmarek was late for his podium interview, a not uncommon occurrence at the NFL Scouting Combine, where players are herded to various media obligations around team meetings, medical exams and everything in between. Time is a precious commodity, and there’s not enough of it here in Indy.
Many of the reporters had dispersed by the time Kacmarek stepped up to the microphone, some 80 minutes or so after he was scheduled to speak at 11 a.m. Thursday. As such, Kacmarek’s media session was one of the more lightly attended ones on a day when defensive backs and tight ends spoke.
Or … maybe it was because Kacmarek isn’t one of the flashy names here, a tight end’s tight end who’s about the unsexy stuff that comes with the position.
“I love it,” Kacmarek said. “That’s my playing style. Not a lot of people like to do it (run blocking), but I take pride in that role. Doing so can separate you, and I know that’s a big part of why I’m here right now. It’s fulfilling to do the dirty work.”
Ohio State has Kacmarek and Max Klare at the combine, the former more of an in-line grinder and the latter the kind of athletic, receiving-first tight end that tends to get more attention here. (Klare, who could be the second tight end selected, had a larger media horde for his interview session.) They bring different flavors to the table, but what’s most important is that both will be drafted. And when that happens, Kacmarek and Klare will make a little bit of draft history for a program that already has plenty of it.
The Buckeyes have never had two tight ends selected in the same NFL Draft. That will change in April.
OSU has had recent tight end tandems that produced double draft picks, but Jeff Heuerman (2015) and Nick Vannett (2016) were separated by a year when they came out. Same for Luke Farrell (2021) and Jeremy Ruckert (2022). Never has the team’s top tight end tandem gone to the league together in the same year. When it happens, it will be a nice ending note to a season that was a mixed bag for Ohio State’s tight ends.
There were some real highs (the Michigan game) and real lows (the Indiana game), all while head coach Ryan Day, offensive coordinator Brian Hartline and position Keenan Bailey deployed multiple tight end sets at a high rate. Kacmarek and Klare were good for much of the year, especially Kacmarek, who was one of the better blocking tight ends in the country. Klare, the transfer from Purdue who spent one year in Columbus and entered the draft with remaining eligibility, improved some as a blocker, but he’s here because of his receiving ability.
“My separation at the top of routes, getting in and out of routes efficiently, creating separation at the top so the quarterback has a spot to throw the ball,” Klare said when asked to describe what sets him apart. “I want to improve on creating movement at the point of attack against longer defenders. That’s always a work in progress. I want to continue to develop that.”
Both players have plenty to like. And while OSU’s tight end usage was frustrating at times, it might actually be to Kacmarek and Klare’s benefit during this process.
“By being exposed to all of those personnel groupings, and being exposed to all of those positions — on the ball, off the ball, in the backfield — that makes me versatile,” Kacmarek said. “That’s something that’s gonna help me at the next level. I’ll be comfortable at all of those positions.”
Former OSU tight end emulating Travis Kelce: While Kacmarek and Klare transferred to Columbus, a tight end who transferred out of Columbus joined them in Indy. Cincinnati’s Joe Royer is projected to go after Klare in the draft but before Kacmarek.
He might have a chance to be the Bearcats’ highest-drafted tight end since Travis Kelce was the first pick of the third round in 2013 at overall pick No. 63. Cincinnati had a tight end go late in the third round in 2020 and in the fifth round in 2023.
You can’t compare every Bearcat tight end to Kelce, but Royer felt like he played that way at times. His college quarterback, Brendan Sorsby, transferred to Texas Tech this offseason for a reported NIL deal around $5 million. Maybe Royer should get a cut. Sorsby completed 456 passes in two years as the Cincinnati starter, and no one caught more passes from him than Royer, who had 79.
Royer said a lot of his best moments came from doing with Sorsby what Kelce does with Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes — just finding open spots in the defense.
“Travis is one of the best at that,” Royer said Thursday. “With him and Patrick, he’s not even running the routes he’s supposed to. They just kind of play ball, and I definitely idolize that.
“I feel like I did that well. A lot of my catches were honestly Brendan and I playing backyard football sometimes.”
A Cincinnati native, Royer transferred back home after a tough three years at Ohio State after his mother, Micki, died at age 52 in September of 2022. Royer said tight end coach Keenan Bailey, strength coach Mickey Marotti and fellow tight end Cade Stover helped him during that time, but losing his mother caused him to lose his love for football, which led to his transfer.
He got his degree from Ohio State and considered ending his football career, but he gave it a shot at Cincinnati instead.
“I never thought I’d be here,” Royer said, “and I’m so glad I ended up sticking with it.”
At Cincinnati preseason practice in 2024, the Bearcats coaching staff was raving about Royer’s potential. He caught 50 passes for 522 yards in 2024. That production dropped off in 2025 to 29 catches for 416 yards. Royer said he had to block more to help with blitz pickups and he mentioned (correctly) that the Bearcats had the lowest time of possession in the country, which cut down on his opportunities.
But now he’ll get his chance in the NFL, two year after he stayed with football and 13 years after Kelce.
Duke teammate spills on Terry Moore: Chandler Rivers, a cornerback from Texas, was the fourth-ranked player in Duke’s 2022 recruiting class. Terry Moore, a safety from North Carolina, was the 12th-ranked player in that class. Both were three-star prospects, but the last time they played together, they were two of the best players at their position in all of college football.
Duke’s 2024 defense was one of the best in the sport. Rivers, a first-team All-ACC selection that year, was the third-highest graded defensive back in the country by Pro Football Focus. Moore, a second-team All-ACC selection, was the sixth-highest graded defensive back. Together, they roamed one of that year’s top secondaries.
“That season was amazing for us as secondary,” Rivers said Thursday. “We were out there playing free, having fun. We both made plays.”
Rivers is now interviewing for the NFL. Moore will be in Columbus after transferring to Ohio State this offseason.
Moore missed the 2025 season at Duke after tearing his ACL at the end of the 2024 season. Otherwise, Moore would’ve been at the combine with Rivers, going through the same job interview process. They’re close friends, and that would’ve been something special. But Rivers said he’s confident that Moore will pick up where he left off in 2024 and play well for the Buckeyes this season.
If that happens, not only will Ohio State be getting a good player for its revamped secondary, but also a good leader. Rivers said he was impressed with how Moore handled his lost season in 2025.
“We had a lot of young safeties last year, and he was a leader to those guys,” Rivers said. “He would bring them in for extra film, doing anything he could to help since he couldn’t help physically. He was always there.”
Nicely done.