Joe DeLeone and Ryan Roberts break down rising star Max Klare, the Ohio State tight end turning heads ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. From elite athleticism to raw potential, this in-depth scouting report covers everything you need to know about Max Klare Ohio State.
00:00Max Clare might be TE1 in the 2026 NFL Draft.
00:03Here's why Ohio State's tight end is leading the charge.
00:10Max Clare already looks like he could be the favorite to be the best tight end in this class.
00:15Ryan, you're the one who put me on to him.
00:17Why are you so excited about this Buckeye transfer?
00:21Well, I mean, he reminds me of Zach Ertz with a little bit more explosiveness in and out of his breaks.
00:26He's just, he's such a clean athlete, Joe.
00:28I mean, he's not the biggest guy in the world, obviously.
00:30It's 6'4", about 238 pounds is what I think Ohio State has him listed on the roster.
00:34But, I mean, just really fluid, easy move.
00:38Or one of the better route runners that I've evaluated as a tight end, too.
00:41Like, he understands how to get in and out of his breaks efficiently.
00:43No false steps.
00:45No wasted movements.
00:46Like, he understands the nuance of playing tight ends and the ability to be a difference maker in the passing game.
00:53And I think he's just, he's a really clean, just overall pass catching upside at tight ends, right?
00:59Like, he catches the ball well outside of his frame.
01:02Really good route runner.
01:03Really smooth mover.
01:04And he's got an underrated ability as an after-catch player as well.
01:07So, I think if you want an athletic mismatch at tight end on the next level, I think that's what you're getting potentially with Max Clare.
01:13I think smooth is, like, the easiest way to describe him, just to encapsulate everything.
01:19He just moves so easily.
01:21Ball in his hand before the route.
01:23Needs a little bit more refinement, I think, on the details of his route running.
01:27But you can make up for that as a tight end when you're just able to so fluidly get upfield, change direction.
01:35I was just so excited by what he's able to do after the catch.
01:41He is able to use his athleticism as an asset, as a weapon.
01:46And I think any team may be picking in the end of the first round, maybe even sooner than that.
01:51If we saw Tyler Warren have the rise that he did, maybe the same thing could be applied for Max Clare here with a new setting, an actual offense that's going to throw him the football.
01:59I think knowing all of that athleticism that's brought to the table, he could end up being a focal point for an offense, just like Zach Ertz was very early on in his career with the Philadelphia Eagles.
02:10Well, I would say this is you make the comparison to Tyler Warren as far as being like a riser of sorts, maybe a guy that people aren't talking about as much going into a season.
02:19But he actually kind of reminds me stylistically more of Colston Loveland, who ended up going number 10 overall to the Chicago Bears just for the style, right?
02:27Like the smoothness, route runner, like that type of feel to him.
02:31I just think that this is such a valuable player in the modern NFL because whether you are a wide receiver, tight end, running back, whatever, it is a league of creating space ultimately, right?
02:42And Max Clare understands how to make space for himself, and he also understands how to maximize space once he gets the football in his hands.
02:49So, again, man, I just think that if he takes a step forward from developmentally, physically, like that type of vantage point, I really do think that this is a very high floor receiving threat on the NFL level.
03:02And I hope, this is my hope, I hope Ohio State really highlights him this year because there's been, it's been a little bit up and down.
03:10Like there's some years where they highlight the tight end position.
03:12You think of like a couple years ago, there's other years where the tight end is just not a focal point in the Ohio State system.
03:17I do hope that Max Clare is a guy that they really take advantage of his skill set in 2025.
03:22I really think that this year we're going to see Clare be a really nice piece for this team.
03:27And I think that knowing Emeka Abuka moves on and there's a lot of young guys at running back, they're going to need somebody like Max Clare over the middle to be as dynamic as he can be.
03:36And if you look at the current receivers, Cardinal Tate, we've already talked about, he's going to be an outside guy for the most part.
03:43We haven't really done a preview of Jeremiah Smith, but he is the premier X receiver.
03:49Clare can be that presence over the middle, just that reliable option for a young quarterback who's barely played in Julian St.
03:56I don't think it's going to be Lincoln Kynalds, but regardless, you're going to have a new inexperienced quarterback.
04:01Having a reliable target like Clare will be super, super useful.
04:05Quick highlight on his background, he transferred over from Purdue after the 2024 season to Ohio State.
04:13He is or was back in 2022, the 48th, 48th rink tight end in his class, 26th player in Ohio coming from Cincinnati, Ohio.
04:26So this is a guy who's rapidly improved.
04:29One of the players that was recruited by Jeff Brom that has seemingly gone on to be a nice piece for a team that's looking to become a national champion.
04:38Well, he was an underdeveloped kid coming out of the state of Ohio.
04:41He was actually only about 215 pounds when he got to Purdue, when he got to West Lafayette.
04:45So he's a guy that needed to kind of grow and to mature physically overall.
04:49And after an injury early in his career, he really broke out in 2024, had over 50 receptions, over 600 yards, was quietly one of the more productive tight ends in the country, despite playing a part of a putrid Purdue passing offense.
05:02So excited to see what he's able to do.
05:04But this is another good developmental story of a guy that was considered just a three-star player, developmental guy that is now turning heads for NFL evaluators heading into the fall.
05:14Folks, comment below, how early would you draft Max Clare?
05:18Hit the like button, subscribe, and we'll talk to you later.
