Joe Royer is a tight end from Cincinnati who is ranked No. 103 on my NFL Draft Top 100 Big Board. This comprehensive scouting report analyzes Royer’s draft potential, current mock draft trends, and where he ranks among the top prospects.
Joe Royer’s NFL Draft Potential
Joe Royer transferred to Cincinnati after three nondescript years at the bottom of Ohio State’s depth chart, and instantly produced in 2024. In his first year as a full-time starter, he caught 50 passes for 521 yards and three touchdowns. In his second, he’s already surpassed that TD total and is on pace to eclipse his career-high yardage mark. He has PFSN’s fifth-highest TE Impact grade at the CFB level, with a score of 82.8.
Royer quietly profiles as one of the more complete TE prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. In particular, he’s a weapon as a seam threat and RAC component. Per TruMedia, he’s averaging over 10 yards of RAC per reception, and over five yards of RAC over expectation per reception. Meanwhile, in catch-point situations, he’s registered an 18.22% catch rate over expectation. At 6’5″, 250 pounds, Royer can use his frame to box out defenders while making body control adjustments, and while his proportional length is middling, he has a good sense of timing on extensions.
Royer provides clear and intrinsic value as a RAC and seam threat, but he also has a compelling route running foundation. He’s shown he can offset DBs with fast feet and fluid hips at stems against off-man and zone, and he has the curvilinear acceleration and bend to sear through LB blind spots and enter space over the middle. The athleticism is there in spades with Royer, and he’s proven he can apply it to create space for himself.
As a blocker, Royer’s consistency is still coming along. In particular, he can improve at fully acquiring leverage and sustaining power exertions. Still, Royer’s fast feet and fluid hips enable him to reliably recalibrate his base on engagement, and he has the mass and competitiveness to hold up in space or in-line with more technical development. Ultimately, Royer has starting upside at the NFL level, and could excel as a multi-level target in time.
CFB Week 9 Update
In a game that Cincinnati controlled from the very beginning, Royer didn’t need to field too many targets down the field or stress Baylor up the seam. He caught just one pass for 12 yards through the air, but helped the Bearcats’ running game exceed 250 total yards on the day. By now, Royer’s receiving ability is verifiable, but whether or not he can play up to his size as a blocker week in and week out is the next step. Week 9 provided more flashes, but there’s still a higher level of consistency to attain.
CFB Week 10 Update
Royer only logged one catch for 10 yards in Week 10, but an inconsistent passing attack contributed to his downtick in production. On film, Royer was still reliably separating, using his quickness, throttle control, and understanding of targeted physicality to both decouple at stems and sear up seams over the middle of the field. He also stayed active as a blocker, driving nickel defenders and overhang linebackers off the ball.
His inline blocking was less consistent, and Royer’s lack of high-end burst out of route transitions also limited his separation at times — but his blend of role-specific blocking ability and receiving upside remains an apparent strength. If he can improve his leveraging and lower-body load as an inline blocker, he could have Day 1 utility in the NFL.
CFB Week 11 Update
Cincinnati was on a bye in Week 11. They’ll return to action in Week 12 against the Arizona Wildcats.
CFB Week 12 Update
Royer caught just one pass for eight yards in Cincinnati’s 30-24 loss to the Arizona Wildcats. Royer’s production has tanked over the past few games, and his two-phase impact has waned for the Bearcats.
The redshirt senior will have to end the season on a high note to leave a good impression with evaluators. High-quality reps of route running, catch-point operation, and blocking urgency are present on his tape, but the high moments have been too few and far between over the past few weeks.
Where Is Royer Being Selected Most Often in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator?
Royer currently holds the No. 208 overall rank among prospects, reflecting his standing among mid-round prospects. His most recent Average Draft Position (ADP) of 142.5 as of November 19 reflects that he is typically being selected in the middle rounds.
Interestingly, his ADP is higher than his rank, suggesting that users are targeting him more aggressively than his positional ranking might indicate.
Users controlling the Philadelphia Eagles have been the team that selected Royer the most frequently over the past week, accounting for 0.8% of their picks across all seven rounds.
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Where Does Joe Royer Rank Amongst Other NFL Draft Prospects?
Royer is currently ranked No. 103 overall in my November 2026 NFL Draft Big Board. Among TE prospects, Royer ranks 5th at the position, trailing prospects like Kenyon Sadiq, Oscar Delp, Eli Raridon.
Want to see how we rank all the draft prospects in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator? Check out our NFL Draft Prospect Rankings page, which includes more than 750 prospects.
