Cincinnati native can complete a storybook homecoming thanks to the Bengals' dire need at his position
Nothing is for certain, but the odds favor the Cincinnati Bengals having two new starting guards in Week 1 of next season. The money saved from releasing Alex Cappa will likely be spent on his replacement in free agency, and a rookie will have a great chance of besting Cordell Volson in a battle at […]
Nothing is for certain, but the odds favor the Cincinnati Bengals having two new starting guards in Week 1 of next season. The money saved from releasing Alex Cappa will likely be spent on his replacement in free agency, and a rookie will have a great chance of besting Cordell Volson in a battle at left guard just like Volson toppled Jackson Carman three years ago.
Defense is going to garner the attention when Cincinnati decides how to use its premium draft picks, but guard might be the one position on offense that gets picked before Saturday afternoon. The need to secure a firm pocket for Joe Burrow remains high, and with both tackle spots and center taken care of, the pressure is on for the Bengals to get both guard spots right. That may require the use of one of their first three picks.
If they opt for their traditional level of aggressiveness, the fourth round is the expected time for a guard to be taken. That's where our eyes are focused on in the next installment as we identify under-the-radar draft prospects the Bengals should be interested in with the NFL Scouting Combine right around the corner.
When it comes to the next player in the spotlight, the Bengals can stay right in Cincinnati to learn everything they need to know about him.
Cincinnati G Luke Kandra can continue his football journey in his hometown
Kandra is a Queen City native, and like every Cincinnatian, he's ready to answer which high school he graduated from. Kandra became a three-star recruit out of Elder High School and chose to cross the Ohio River to play for Louisville over the likes of Boston College and Indiana. That decision proved to be important as Louisville's head coach at the time was Scott Satterfield. After redshirting in 2020, Kandra came off the bench for a few games in 2021 and played about half of the 2022 season. Satterfield then left Louisville to take over the University of Cincinnati football program, and he brought Kandra back home as a transfer player.
The fit was immediate for Kandra, who started right away at right guard and earned Third Team All-American honors from the AP and First Team All-Big 12 honors for his 2023 campaign. Kandra and future third-round draft pick Cooper Beebe of Kansas State were the conference's highest-graded guards per Pro Football Focus. Kandra was voted a team captain for his final year back home and earned First Team All-Big 12 honors once more.
Kandra leaves the college level with essentially two-and-a-half season of starting experience in five total years. His accolades and production apparently aren't enough to warrant consideration in the top-100 picks. As of this posting, the A to Z Sports Mock Draft Database has him at No. 137 in this class, putting him in the range of a late fourth-round selection.
Numbers to know for Luke Kandra
Hula Bowl Measurements:
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 318
Arm: 32.5"
Hand: 10.125"
Kandra has a stocky build for someone who isn't particularly short at his position. 32.5" arms will need to be confirmed at the combine as it's the one measurable working against him at the moment. 10.125" hands definitely show up when watching him go to work as he grips onto defensive tackles with ease.
Six combined sacks/QB hits allowed on 1,070 career pass blocking snaps: A rough outing for Kandra would involve maybe a couple clear losses. You can go through his film catalogue and go quarters on end without noticing someone on the other side of the ball getting the best of him. He was as trustworthy as they come in pass protection, but he's also an asset in the run game. No other FBS interior linemen in this class posted a higher average run blocking grade than Kandra, according to Gridiron Grading. That productivity tends to translate well in the pros..
Luke Kandra film spark notes
I've been studying offensive line play for most of my life now. It's what got me interested in enhancing my knowledge of the sport. When it looks easy for guy, it's very telling. Kandra wins so smoothly so very often, indicative of someone with the requisite foot-speed, core strength, and hand usage to survive at the next level. Want a stat to prove it? He was penalized just twice in his college career despite playing 2,053 snaps. He's not perfect as he sometimes attempts to compensate for his lack of ideal length, but the positives significantly outweigh the negatives. Seriously, go through Draft Guy Jared's thread above. You won't be disappointed.
Sometimes it feels like it's written in the stars. The Bengals need a guard who can start right away as a rookie, but their history tells us they aren't guaranteed to draft one too early. That's enough reason to connect the dots to Kandra; the hometown storyline is just shredded cheese on the Skyline cheese coney. The closer we get to the draft, the more mock drafts we'll see with the Bengals taking Kandra between the fourth and fifth round.
Before the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, we'll go over one sleeper player at each position of need for the Bengals. Read up on Kansas OT Logan Brown, Oregon NT Jamaree Caldwell, Texas Tech TE Jalin Conyers, Boise State DE Ahmed Hassanein, Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter, and check back to A to Z Sports Cincinnati this week for the latest installments.
Bengals can recreate a success story from 17 years ago down to the very same school in the late rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft
Cincinnati needs depth at offensive tackle this year. Enter a former five-star recruit from two midwestern programs.
