Max

Klare

Klare (6’4/246) was a four-star recruit for Purdue and played a reserve role as a freshman. He only appeared in five games as a sophomore before an ankle injury ended his season. Klare finally broke out with a 51/685/4 receiving line in his third outing. As is often the case in the current college football landscape, Klare’s breakout made him a hot name in the transfer portal and the Buckeyes picked up the phone. Klare’s numbers tanked at Ohio State, though playing alongside at least two potential NFL stars in Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith is a reasonable alibi. He went for 448 yards and just two touchdowns. Despite the counting stats taking a hit, Klare likely improved his draft stock by bulking up for a more traditional tight end role. He increased his rate of inline routes and improved as a run-blocker. After rounding out his skill set at Ohio State, Klare looks ready to contribute on an NFL field out of the gates.

Per NBC Sports Houston’s Aaron Wilson, Klare has met “extensively” with the Texans, Buccaneers, Rams, Broncos and Panthers. Klare could be the second tight drafted next week, profiling as a potential every-down player. Although he performed better as a receiver at Purdue in 2024, he earned a respectable 71.6 PFF run-blocking grade at Ohio State last year. Klare could be a year one contributor, but he is not guaranteed to reach the TE1 ranks in fantasy.

Ravens team reporter Ryan Mink adds that although TE Mark Andrews posted a career-low 422 receiving yards last season, “the Ravens see a rebound in 2026.” DeCosta’s comments could indicate otherwise, though the team lost TEs Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar in free agency. Mink also notes that the Ravens have picked two tight ends in the same draft four times in franchise history: 2022, 2018, 2015 and 2010. DeCosta has been with the Ravens for his whole career, dating back to 1996, and the strategy has worked well for the organization. Mink believes replacing Likely with a receiving tight end could be viewed as a need in the short term. He lists 10 potential draftees, including Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq, Ohio State TE Max Klare, Vanderbilt TE Eli Stowers, Baylor TE Michael Trigg and NC State TE Justin Joly.

This is the second incoming rookie tight end the Broncos have brought in for a top-30 visit this week. The position remains an area of need despite head coach Sean Payton spending the last three years trying to find a Joker. In his final college season, Klare caught 41-of-53 targets for 420 yards and two touchdowns. Per 9News’ Mike Klis, Klare could potentially be the second tight end drafted this year and is “arguably the most well-rounded.”