Ohio State tight end Max Klare declares for 2026 NFL Draft

COLUMBUS — Ohio State tight end Max Klare only spent one year as a great pass-catching option in the Buckeyes offense.

Now he’s taking his talents to the next level despite having one year of eligibility in college football remaining.

Klare has officially declared for the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, making his decision public Monday. He’s the fifth Ohio State player to declare for the draft early, joining Arvell Reese, Caleb Downs, Carnell Tate and Kayden McDonald.

Sources indicate to Lettermen Row that Klare received second-round grades during the NFL Draft feedback phase last month. Now he’ll head to the draft looking to cement that status.

In his lone season at Ohio State, Klare caught 43 passes for 448 yards and two touchdowns, becoming one of the more reliable weapons in the Buckeyes offense. He finished the season as the team’s third-leading receiver, behind Jeremiah Smith and the aforementioned Tate. Klare’s best game with the Buckeyes came in the November win over Rutgers, when he caught seven passes for 105 yards and a score.

Klare previously was the leading receiver at Purdue before transferring to Ohio State. He came to Columbus looking to compete for championships — and he did that. He wanted to get better as a blocker — and he did that. And he wanted to elevate his draft stock — and he did that, as well.

So after just one year with the Buckeyes, Max Klare is off to the NFL Draft. And Ohio State will look to replace his production in the transfer portal and with the other tight ends currently on the roster.

Ohio State players entering 2026 NFL Draft

Max Klare is the fifth Ohio State underclassman to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, joining wide receiver Carnell Tate, linebacker Arvell Reese, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald and safety Caleb Downs.

Tate caught 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns for the Buckeyes this year, becoming half of the best wide receiver tandem in the country alongside Jeremiah Smith. He spent three years playing significant time for the Buckeyes, catching 121 passes for 1,872 yards and 14 touchdowns in his college career.

He’ll likely become next in an incredibly long line of elite receiver talents to come out of Ohio State and into the NFL, joining now-pros Terry McLaurin, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr., among others. Tate projects as one of the few receivers to become a first-round pick in April.

Downs has been one of the best defensive players in college football during each of his three college football seasons, two of them coming at Ohio State. Now he’s going to be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft this upcoming spring. The list of accomplishments for Caleb Downs is immense. He’s one of the most decorated defensive players to ever come through Ohio State.

McDonald had 65 combined tackles, nine tackles for loss and three sacks for the Buckeyes this past season, becoming one of the best defensive tackles in the sport during the 12-2 Ohio State campaign. He earned unanimous All-American status while also becoming a fan-favorite off the field.

Reese was a superstar in the Ohio State defense in 2025, his lone season as a starter. He had 69 combined tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks this past season, earning All-American honors at his post at linebacker. He and fellow starting linebacker Sonny Styles, who is graduating and will go to the NFL Draft, are expected to become the first Ohio State linebackers to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2016, when Darron Lee did it.