A Cincinnati native who transferred home from Ohio State and broke a Travis Kelce tight end reception record along the way to Cleveland.
Joe Royer grew up in Cincinnati, spent four seasons buried on Ohio State's depth chart, then transferred to his hometown Bearcats and turned into one of the most productive tight ends in the Big 12. The Browns drafted him in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, adding a big, reliable target with a football bloodline that runs back to Notre Dame's 1957 team.
Path to the league
Royer starred at Elder High School in Cincinnati as a three-star recruit with offers from Arizona State, LSU, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin, but chose Ohio State, where he redshirted in 2020 and caught just four passes for 24 yards over three seasons. He transferred to Cincinnati after the 2023 season and immediately became a full-time starter. The Browns selected him in the fifth round, 170th overall, of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Royer's breakout came in 2024, when he caught 50 passes for 521 yards and 3 touchdowns for Cincinnati, a season in which he set the Bearcats' single-season reception record for a tight end, surpassing the mark previously held by Travis Kelce. He followed that with a 2025 season of 29 catches for 416 yards and 4 touchdowns. He earned First Team All-Big 12 honors in 2024 and Third Team All-Big 12 in 2025.
2025 season recap
In his final college season, Royer started every game for Cincinnati, catching 29 passes for 416 yards and a career-high 4 touchdowns, including a 5-catch, 89-yard performance in the season opener against Towson. The production earned him Third Team All-Big 12 recognition and pushed him into the 2026 draft as one of the more productive tight ends in his class.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Joe Royer
- ESPN: Joe Royer player page
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Tight End
- Group
- offense
- College
- Cincinnati
- Hometown
- Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
