Joe Royer is a tight end from the University of Cincinnati. He is from Cincinnati, OH and attended Elder HS. Royer was First Team All-Ohio his senior year of high school. He started his college career at the Ohio State university but transferred to Cincinnati after not seeing much playing time. He had a groin injury in 2022 that caused him to miss some time and undisclosed injury in 2024 that caused him to leave a game against Kansas. He was All-Big 12 First Team in 2024 and All-Big 12 Third Team in 2025. Royer was also the first tight end since 2018 to record a 100-yard game at Cincinnati and in 2024 he had the most catches in a season for a tight end.
Royer definitely has the size and frame to play tight end at the next level. His size is a major factor in the passing game. He lines up as a in-line tight end or an h-back but can line up out wide or in the slot. That will force defenses to adjust. Defenses will either have to spread their linebackers out or have a nickel or safety roll down to cover him. Royer has the height and size advantage if a defense is forced to put a corner or safety on him. He is also a good route runner. He mostly runs curl or crossing routes but can run out routes or a go route even though he is not the fastest guy on the field he still shows the ability to run those types of routes. He does a good job of finding soft spots in zone coverage but does struggle with separation. Royer has a solid YAC ability also as he shows that he is tough to bring down. Royer also shows that he has a decent catch radius and does a good job of extending his arms and catching the ball rather than letting it hit his chest.
Royer is not the most polished blocker. He struggles with hand placement and maintaining his blocks. Defenders are able to disengage and get by him easily. Royer also struggles with getting to the second level and sometimes misses his assignments. He also runs awkwardly. That is probably due to his groin injury that he had because it looks as if he has lost a step. When Royer is in a two-point stance he shows some stiffness as he does not bend his knees all the way. That hampers his ability to come off the line of scrimmage and be an effective run blocker.
Summary: A pass catching tight end that needs to improve blocking.
Scheme Fit and Team Fit: Teams that use 2 tight ends
Royer fits with a team that likes to run a lot of plays involving 2 tight ends. Good team fits would be the Packers, Giants, and Browns
NFL Player Comp: Harrison Bryant
They have a similar frame, both able to line up all over the field, and are both decent route runners.
Projection: Backup Player
Royer would be a good TE2.
Grade: 3.3
I initially graded him a 3.6, but rounded down to a 3.3
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