#11

Joe Royer

Former tight end at Cincinnati. 2025: 29 catches, 416 receiving yards, 4 TD.

TE · Cincinnati · Sr. · #11

6′5″ · 250 lb · Cincinnati, OH

CFB Index 61 · #37 of 156 TEsMedium-low confidenceAll-ConferenceDrafted by Cleveland — Rd 5, Pick 30, #170 overall

How he plays

Shows up in the passing game from any alignment.

TD rate: 95th percentile.

The full scouting read

The numbers

416

receiving yards · 2025

29 catches · 4 TD · 14.3 per catch

The play that turned itSwung Cincinnati from 48% to 81% to win.Cincinnati at Oklahoma State · 49-17

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former tight end at Cincinnati. 2025: 29 catches, 416 receiving yards, 4 TD.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Ohio State in 2020.
Transferred from Ohio State to Cincinnati in 2024.
Drafted round 5 by the Cleveland in 2026.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Five seasons at Cincinnati, 972 receiving yards, a first-team All-Conference season (2024) — drafted at #170 overall by Cleveland.

His career

He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.

The week the volume broke through — put up 104 yds vs Bowling Green.Bowling Green · W 34-202025

2020

Signed with Ohio State4-star out of Elder

202412 games

Entered the portal
All-Big 12first

202512 games

All-Big 12third

2026

Drafted by Clevelandround 5, pick 170

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#406 national

CFB

College

2 teams

2021–2025

NFL

NFL Draft

R5 · #170

Cleveland · 2026

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

3 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-BIG 12

All-Big 12 mention (2025)

Coaching lineage · 2021–2025

2 coaches

2021–2022

Luke Fickell

Cincinnati

2023–2025

Scott Satterfield

Cincinnati

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Luke Fickell → Scott Satterfield. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

Cleveland2026 NFL rookie season

#170Rd 5 · Pick 30

Cleveland2026 NFL rookie season

View college career stats ↓

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021Ohio State11-2HC: Ryan Day · Balanced, fast tempo

2022Ohio State11-2HC: Ryan Day · Balanced

2023Ohio State11-2HC: Ryan Day · Balanced

2024Cincinnati5-7HC: Scott Satterfield · Balanced

2025Cincinnati7-6HC: Scott Satterfield · Balanced, slow tempo

Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort

Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles

61Quality starter #37 of 156?

Medium-low confidence10 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: td rate (95th percentile). Strength: explosive rate (85th percentile).

Real play-by-play efficiency

TD rate#41 / 798 · 95th pct

8.3%

Explosive rate#113 / 798 · 85th pct

16.7%

EPA / target#133 / 798 · 83rd pct

0.65

Catch rate#138 / 798 · 83rd pct

77.8%

Yards / catch#194 / 798 · 76th pct

13.9

Box-score rates (5)

Long catch#6 / 175 · 97th pct

Yards / catch#15 / 175 · 91st pct

14.3

Rec yards#32 / 175 · 82nd pct

416

Rec TDs#27 / 175 · 80th pct

Receptions#58 / 175 · 66th pct

Season trend

Last seasonThis season

EPA / target

48th → 83rd percentile

Explosive rate

29th → 85th percentile

Catch rate

91st → 83rd percentile

TD rate

35th → 95th percentile

Yards / catch

31st → 76th percentile

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).

Situational

Situational · Share of own targets (PBP, 2025)

Third-down role

22%8 of his 36 targets came on third down · TE median is 22%

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2025 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Home8g	2.2	34.2	17.1	0.4
Road4g	2.8	35.5	12.4	0.2

First half vs Second half

	REC/g	YDS/g	YPR	TD/g
Weeks 1-76g	2.7	44.2	20.3	0.5
Weeks 8+6g	2.2	25.2	10.7	0.2

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Scott Satterfield

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2025

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

61 · #37 of 156 TEs

Former four-star. Now #37 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2025	Cincinnati	29	416	14.3	4	--
2024	Cincinnati	51	532	10.4	3	--
2023	Ohio State	1	5	5.0	0	--
2022	Ohio State	2	10	5.0	0	--
2021	Ohio State	1	9	9.0	0	--
Career		84	972	11.6	7	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 6 · 2025

W 38–30

vs Iowa State

4 rec · 20 yds · 1 TD

Edged out Iowa State at home in a shootout.

With B. Sorsby — 214 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 86.0 · 64 rush yds (9 car) · 1 TD · M. Fletcher — 41 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 60 LONG

Signature plays

Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|

The plays that mattered most

fact

Week 2 · Bowling Green · 2&12 · Q2 · EPA +4.63Brendan Sorsby pass complete to Joe Royer for 73 yds to the BGSU 18 for a 1ST down
Week 7 · UCF · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +3.72Brendan Sorsby pass complete to Joe Royer for 67 yds to the UCF 9 for a 1ST down
Week 8 · Oklahoma State · 2&10 · Q2 · EPA +3.23Joe Royer 27 Yd pass from Brendan Sorsby (Stephen Rusnak Kick)
Week 14 · TCU · 3&4 · Q3 · EPA +2.95(06:46) No Huddle-Shotgun #2 B.Sorsby pass complete short right to #11 J.Royer caught at TCU45, for 26 yards to the TCU30 (#11 D.Deal), 1ST DOWN
Week 6 · Iowa State · 3&5 · Q1 · EPA +2.88Brendan Sorsby pass complete to Joe Royer for 12 yds for a TD (Stephen Rusnak KICK)
Week 5 · Kansas · 3&13 · Q3 · EPA +2.68Brendan Sorsby pass complete to Joe Royer for 20 yds to the CIN 42 for a 1ST down
Week 2 · Bowling Green · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.67Brendan Sorsby pass complete to Joe Royer for 31 yds to the BGSU 46 for a 1ST down
Week 8 · Oklahoma State · 3&8 · Q1 · EPA +2.33Brendan Sorsby pass complete to Joe Royer for 11 yds to the CIN 42 for a 1ST down
Week 3 · Northwestern State · 2&2 · Q1 · EPA +2.28Brendan Sorsby pass complete to Joe Royer for 21 yds for a TD (Stephen Rusnak KICK)
Week 3 · Northwestern State · 2&2 · Q1 · EPA +2.07Brendan Sorsby pass complete to Joe Royer for 2 yds for a TD (Stephen Rusnak KICK)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week