Joe Royer
American football player (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph Royer (born February 25, 2002) is an American professional football tight end for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and Cincinnati Bearcats. He was selected by the Browns in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Non-football illnessCincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
| No. 18 – Cleveland Browns | |
|---|---|
| Position | Tight end |
| Roster status | Non-football illness |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 25, 2002 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Elder (Cincinnati) |
| College |
|
| NFL draft | 2026: 5th round, 170th overall pick |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
Royer attended Elder High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was rated as a three-star recruit and committed to play college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes over offers from schools such as Arizona State, LSU, Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin.[1][2]
College career
Ohio State
As a freshman in 2020, Royer was redshirted. In three years at Ohio State from 2021 to 2023, he appeared in 14 games for the Buckeyes where he recorded four receptions for 24 yards.[3][4][5] After the 2023 season, Royer entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[6]
Cincinnati
Royer transferred to play for the Cincinnati Bearcats.[7] In the 2024 season opener, he recorded five receptions for 89 yards in a win over Towson. In week 4, Royer notched three receptions for 41 yards in a win over Houston.[8]
Statistics
| Season | Team | Games | Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | |||
| 2021 | Ohio State | 5 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2022 | Ohio State | 5 | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2023 | Ohio State | 4 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2024 | Cincinnati | 12 | 50 | 521 | 10.4 | 3 | 38 |
| 2025 | Cincinnati | 12 | 29 | 416 | 14.3 | 4 | 73 |
| Career | 38 | 83 | 961 | 11.5 | 7 | 73 | |
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5+1⁄8 in (1.96 m) | 247 lb (112 kg) | 31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) | 10+3⁄4 in (0.27 m) | 6 ft 6+3⁄4 in (2.00 m) | ||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[9][10] | ||||||||||||
Royer was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round with the 170th overall pick of the 2026 NFL draft.[11] He began the 2026 season on the non-football illness list after not reporting to training camp for personal reasons.[12][13]