Max Klare is a tight end from Ohio State who is ranked No. 90 on my NFL Draft Top 100 Big Board. This comprehensive scouting report analyzes Klare’s draft potential, current mock draft trends, and where he ranks among the top prospects.
Max Klare’s NFL Draft Potential
Max Klare looked like an early 2026 NFL Draft TE1 candidate in 2024, after putting up 51 catches for 685 yards and four touchdowns with the Purdue Boilermakers. He transferred to Ohio State to compound his upward momentum as a prospect, and at first, the progress was rocky. He caught just six passes in the first four games, but has started to catch his stride as of late, with 14 catches total in his past three outings.
Standing around 6’4 1/2″ and 243 pounds, Klare needed to tune up to Ohio State’s level of physicality, but now that he has, he’s back in the conversation as a potential Top 5 TE in the 2026 NFL Draft. Klare has always been a compelling receiving TE prospect. He’s explosive working upfield into stems, but has the fluidity and quickness to offset defenders, and he can make tough adjustments for catches in-stride working up seams and to the boundary. On top of it all, he’s a hard-charging RAC threat whose fast play pace and short-area quickness translate to powerful, energetic leg churn through contact.
Where Klare has leveled up as of late, however, is as a blocker. His game against Minnesota, in particular, accentuates his strengths there. Despite weighing in under 250 pounds, Klare weaponizes his explosiveness to generate venerable point-of-attack power, and his legs and hands are always exceedingly active, to maximize reloading and re-exertion. He has the leverage IQ to load his base and attune his pad level, and the angle IQ to attack blocks with judicious positioning, and he fights to the end of the whistle.
At the NFL level, Klare will need to add a bit more mass to survive 1-on-1 driving professional defensive ends out of gaps. Nevertheless, he has the right physical foundation and the right temperament, and he doubles as a dynamic, versatile receiving threat with multi-level appeal.
CFB Week 9 Update
Ohio State was on a bye week in Week 9, but they’ll be back on the field in Week 10 against the Penn State Nittany Lions. It’ll be an excellent chance for Max Klare to sustain his positive momentum against a defense that — although embattled in 2025 — possesses a high volume of NFL-caliber talent. Klare will draw Dani Dennis-Sutton on down and base blocks in the run game, and he could draw either Amare Campbell, Tony Rojas, Zakee Wheatley, or Zion Tracy in coverage.
Klare’s explosiveness and driving physicality will be crucial for Ohio State to keep the advantage in the trenches, and he’s eclipsed at least four catches in three straight games — a sign that the Buckeyes will rely on his fluid separation, zone-splicing, and RAC ability once again.
CFB Week 10 Update
Klare wasn’t heavily featured in Ohio State’s lopsided victory over Penn State, catching just one pass for six yards. Nevertheless, he stayed active in the run game with his athleticism and competitive mentality to help spring the Buckeyes to over 150 yards on the ground. Klare has rebounded since his slow start to the year, but the conference championship and the CFB Playoffs will be the most consequential for his stock.
Where Is Klare Being Selected Most Often in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator?
Klare currently holds the No. 120 overall rank among prospects, reflecting his standing among mid-round prospects. His most recent Average Draft Position (ADP) of 111.0 as of October 27 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 Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been the team that selected Klare the most frequently over the past week, accounting for 3.4% of their picks across all seven rounds. Notably, 6.9% of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first-round selections over that same period were used on Klare, underscoring users’ strong preference for him as a potential immediate-impact tight end.
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Where Does Max Klare Rank Amongst Other NFL Draft Prospects?
Klare is currently ranked No. 90 overall in my October 2026 NFL Draft Big Board. Among TE prospects, Klare ranks 3rd at the position, trailing prospects like Kenyon Sadiq, Oscar Delp. Currently ranked in the top 100, Klare will look to increase their draft stock in the coming months.
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.
