An Ohio State tight end has been selected in the first two rounds of the NFL draft for the first time in 30 years.
The Los Angeles Rams selected the former Ohio State tight end with the No. 61 overall pick in the second round of the 2026 NFL draft on Friday.
Developed Here!! pic.twitter.com/JBGFt0rOx3
— Ryan Day (@ryandaytime) April 25, 2026
Ohio State's 2026 NFL Draft Picks
- Carnell Tate: Round 1, No. 4, Tennessee Titans
- Arvell Reese: Round 1, No. 5, New York Giants
- Sonny Styles: Round 1, No. 7, Washington Commanders
- Caleb Downs: Round 1, No. 11, Dallas Cowboys
- Kayden McDonald: Round 2, No. 36, Houston Texans
- Max Klare: Round 2, No. 61, Los Angeles Rams
- Davison Igbinosun: Round 2, No. 62, Buffalo Bills
- Will Kacmarek: Round 3, No. 87, Miami Dolphins
- Lorenzo Styles Jr.: Round 5, No. 172, New Orleans Saints
- Caden Curry: Round 6, No. 214, Indianapolis Colts
- Ethan Onianwa: Round 7, No. 231, Atlanta Falcons
Klare is the highest-drafted Ohio State tight end since Rickey Dudley was selected in the first round (No. 9 overall) of the 1996 NFL draft. He is just the fourth Buckeye line bookender to come off the board in the third round or earlier since 2005, joining Jeff Heuerman in 2015 (No. 92 overall, Broncos), Nick Vannett in 2016 (No. 94 overall, Seahawks) and Jeremy Ruckert in 2022 (No. 101 overall, Jets).
A breakout redshirt sophomore season at Purdue in 2024 started Klare's roll toward a day two selection at one of the draft's most undervalued positions. He collected 51 receptions for 685 yards and four touchdowns for the Boilermakers that year before transferring to Ohio State for his fourth and ultimately final year of college football in 2025. For the Buckeyes, he reeled in 43 receptions for 448 yards and two scores while playing alongside the elite receiving tandem of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. He was selected as first-team All-Big Ten by both the conference's coaches and media.
Drafted primarily for his receiving ability, Klare also took steps as a blocker at tight end this past season. His Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade jumped from 53.8 in 2024 to 71.6 in 2025. Ohio State used a heavier mix of 12 personnel with Klare and fellow tight end Will Kacmarek on the field than in years past.
Kacmarek was drafted just 26 picks after Klare by the Miami Dolphins, marking the first time Ohio State has had two tight ends selected in the same NFL draft.
Klare was the sixth Buckeye selected in the 2026 draft, joining first-round selections Carnell Tate (No. 4 overall, Titans), Arvell Reese (No. 5, Giants), Sonny Styles (No. 7, Commanders) and Caleb Downs (No. 11 overall, Cowboys) and fellow second-round pick Kayden McDonald (No. 36 overall, Texans). Former Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun was selected just one pick after Klare by the Buffalo Bills, while Kacmarek was the eighth Buckeye selected in the first two days of the draft.
