Height: 6-4

Weight: 246

Year: RS Junior

Pro Comparison: Zach Ertz

2026 NFL Combine Results

Pros of Max Klare

• He is a super smooth route runner with a ton of fluidity in and out of his breaks 
• Klare is an extremely underrated athlete from an explosiveness perspective; He can get up to top speed in a hurry 
• There is a lot of comfort while attacking the middle of the field; he is an extremely efficient seam runner with soft hands 
• He already runs an advanced route tree for a tight end coming out of college, which should help make a smoother transition 
• Showed a lot of progress as a blocker in 2025 after previously being almost unusable in that area

Cons of Max Klare

• Klare is still a thinner tight end; He will need to add a substantial amount of mass to his frame 
• He has too many concentration drops on film; His focus and consistency need to improve 
• His ability as an after-catch threat is a bit inconsistent 
• Klare saw a dip in production during his lone season with Ohio State

Background 

Klare was originally a member of the 2022 recruiting class for the Purdue Boilermakers. A star out of Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier, the talented tight end, ended up rated as a consensus three-star player by each of the major recruiting platforms coming out. He finished as the No. 1,191 overall player, the No. 69 tight end, and the No. 39 player in the state of Ohio for the 2022 class. The Boilermakers won out over an offer list that included Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Duke, Tulane, Liberty, Bowling Green, Kent State, Buffalo, Ball State, Air Force, UPenn, Eastern Kentucky, and Fordham. 

After redshirting during his first season in 2022, Klare got off to a strong start as a redshirt freshman before sustaining a season-ending ankle injury. The Ohio native would recover, putting together an All-American caliber season in 2024 with Purdue. Klare would opt for the transfer portal following that year, eventually ending up with Ohio State. During the course of his college career, Klare managed to haul in 116 receptions for 1,329 yards and six touchdowns. He opted to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, leaving a year of eligibility on the table. 

Klare was born on July 8, 2003, and will turn 23 years old before his first NFL season. He was selected as an All-Big Ten honoree in each of the last two seasons. Klare has a brother, Luke, who currently plays tight end at Purdue.

Player Evaluation

The former Purdue and Ohio State tight end is a very similar player to former Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowler Zach Ertz. His game revolved around creating separation as a route runner. Klare has impressive fluidity in and out of his breaks, as well as an advanced feel as a route runner overall. He routinely breaks out routes against man coverage, creating some easy separation out of his stem. While Klare will be described as more smooth than explosive, he is an underrated overall athlete who can get to his top speed in a hurry. With the intelligence for how to attack zone coverage, as well as the requisite athleticism to beat win coverage, Klare excels while attacking the middle of the field. He is a confident seam runner with good ball skills to elevate and finish through contact. In terms of nuance, Klare is one of the better route running tight ends to come out in the last couple of draft classes. That should translate well to the field early on in his NFL career. While Klare is going to make his living as a pass catching threat at tight end, he did show tremendous progress as a blocker in his one year in Columbus, a positive for the future.

There is still a ton of development needed for Klare from a physical perspective. He has a bit of a thinner frame, which hurts his overall impact as a blocker and working through contact. For a player who has good ball skills and soft hands, there are too many concentration drops on film for Klare. He needs to be a more consistent player from a down-to-down perspective. Klare is just an average player in terms of impact after the catch. He has enough speed to take advantage of an angle, but he lacks the creativity and physicality as a runner to be consistent in that area. After a breakout season with Purdue in 2024, Klare saw his production take a substantial hit this past season. He will have to prove that he still has untapped upside to be more than just an ancillary option.

Even if Klare doesn’t quite develop into the player some believed he could be before his final season, he still has the upside to become a quality starter down the road. If there is still a ceiling to tap into, Klare could end up being a massive value in the 2026 class. Only time will tell if his body develops physicality and if the right fit presents itself.

A to Z Rankings 

A to Z Big Board Ranking: 46th overall, TE2

A to Z Draft Grade: 7.77/10.00