Height: 6’5” | Weight: 243 lbs | Class: Senior | School: Ohio State
Position: Tight End | PFF 2024 Grades: Receiving – 85.6 | Run Block – 53.8 | Pass Block – 47.8
2024: 74 tgt • 51 rec • 684 yd • 13.4 avg • 4 TD | 2025: 54 tgt • 43 rec • 448 yd • 2 TD
Draft Projection: Round 2-3 (swing skill: testing)
Overview
Max Klare is one of the class’s most natural receiving tight ends — a limber 6’5” athlete who runs the TE tree with real craft, then finishes the rep like a big slot. The 2025 box score didn’t explode the way some hoped, but the context matters: Ohio State’s passing game is a shark tank, and targets for intermediate/deep concepts get vacuumed up by the wideouts. That usage squeeze showed up in the efficiency: Klare’s YPRR dropped from 2.22 to 1.63 and his aDOT dipped from 8.8 to 6.2 — less downfield work, more “keep the chains moving” snaps in traffic.
On tape, the selling points haven’t changed. Klare has a rare knack for finding creases and depressions in coverage that other tight ends don’t even register. He gets low into breaks like an X receiver, and he’s surprisingly sophisticated at influencing defenders with tempo and leverage before snapping into the window. After the catch, he’s still one of the more threatening TEs in the group — his YAC/REC slid from 6.6 to 5.4, but it remains strong, and it shows most on play-action crossers where he’s allowed to turn, accelerate, and punish angles. Add in the background (ex-QB, ex-basketball), and you get a “Lynn Swann build” tight end whose acrobatic catch reel is as good as anyone in the class.
The one real improvement area is also where his 2025 tape quietly helps him: blocking. He’ll never be a mauler with his narrow build, but he’s made legitimate strides in run game sustain and hand usage — the PFF run-block grade jumped from 53.8 to 71.4, and the film matches it with better framing and more consistent finish at the point of attack.
Top 5 Tight Ends for the 2026 NFL Draft | Ohio State Draft Prospect Tracker 2026
Athletic profile
Klare’s athletic profile is less “bulldozer Y” and more “receiver in a tight end body.” He’s long, light on his feet, and unusually coordinated through contact — the ex-basketball background shows up in how he adjusts to off-target throws and wins outside his frame. His biggest athletic “soft skill” is fluidity: he transitions from stem to break without rising, stays connected to defenders through his route, and can bend routes into space like a big slot working option concepts.
Explosiveness is the swing factor for his ceiling. If he tests like a top-tier mover (jumps, short-area, smooth change of direction), Klare’s separation tools and YAC profile will look even more translatable against NFL athletes. He’s already a potent play-action weapon; the combine/Senior Bowl week is where he can prove he’s more than a clean route-runner — he can be a matchup problem.
CutCall 2026 NFL Draft Big Board
Strengths
Fluid, detailed route-runner in the tight end tree; gets low in breaks and creates separation with pacing and leverage.
Elite catch-point body control for the position; adjusts and wins outside his frame (ex-hooper traits).
Coverage IQ shows up consistently — finds creases/voids that other TEs miss and settles into windows like a QB’s friend.
After-catch threat on crossers and play-action concepts; accelerates into space and punishes angles (still strong YAC/REC profile).
Real improvement as a run blocker in 2025 — better framing, sustain, and hand usage at the point of attack.
Weaknesses / Areas to Improve
Narrower build limits consistent sustain vs NFL edge/OLB strength; can get walked back or disengaged when he loses inside hands.
2025 usage/efficiency dip creates “role question” — needs to prove he can command targets when the room is crowded.
Not a natural inline people-mover; his value is more weapon/move than true attached Y in heavy run volume.
Pass protection is still a work in progress (grading reflects it); technique and anchor have to keep trending up.
Ceiling is tied to testing/explosives — if the burst isn’t there, he projects more as a high-end complementary piece than a true mismatch terror.
Draft projection
I give Max Klare a Green Chip grade with very real Red Chip upside. The floor is easy: a quick-contributing move tight end who can separate on NFL route concepts, win in space, and add value after the catch. The ceiling comes down to matchups and testing — if he wins the week at the Senior Bowl and posts top-tier explosive numbers, he becomes the kind of “receiver TE” teams build third-down and play-action packages around. Klare’s best fit is an offense that treats tight end like a weapon: detach him, motion him, feed him on crossers/seams, and let the route nuance do the work while the blocking continues to develop.
CutCall 2026 NFL Draft Big Board • Ohio State Draft Prospect Tracker 2026
prospect comps • dalton kincaid
system fit • play-action heavy, 11/12 personnel, motion + detach usage; less ideal as a true inline “Y-only” offense
