NFL Draft
4/14/25
4 min read
Luke Kandra 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Cincinnati Bearcats OG
Height: 6046 (verified)
Weight: 319lbs (verified)
Year: Redshirt Senior
Pro Comparison: Jack Anderson
Scouting Overview
Cincinnati Bearcats offensive guard Luke Kandra is a dense, stout interior lineman. Kandra is more of a linear athlete than a fluid or agile blocker, but he does illustrate enough potency at the point of attack to warrant an investment.
His lack of length (31.88” arms, fourth percentile for guards) is evident in how he initiates contact and in his efforts to sustain blocks deeper into the rep. This is a heavy midline player who is difficult to play through but struggles to maintain that physical toughness on his edges.
2025 NFL Combine Results
| Position | Name | School | 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Split | Broad Jump | Vertical Jump | 3-Cone Drill | 20-Yard Shuttle | Bench Press |
| OL | Luke Kandra | Cincinnati | 33 |
Positives
- Stout anchor and strong core allow him to absorb power effectively
- Shows a tight and stuff punch thanks to a short stroke and can create an effective knockback
- Will create sufficient movement on the interior
Negatives
- Lacks the fluidity to flash and react late to shooting defenders that run through his space
- Does not possess the needed reach and punch length to dictate first contact consistently
- Will end up overextending and breaking down his base
Background
Kandra is from Cincinnati, OH, and played high school football at Elder HS. There, he was an accomplished guard who garnered individual accolades while helping Elder to a state championship game appearance. As a 3-star recruit (247 Sports), Kandra enrolled at Louisville as a member of their 2020 recruiting class.
Kandra redshirted in 2020 and collected two starts for the Cardinals across his redshirt freshman and redshirt sophomore seasons with the Cardinals. He played in 21 games total before entering the transfer portal and enrolling at Cincinnati. Kandra started 24 games in 24 appearances for Cincinnati and was voted First Team All-Big 12 for his play at right guard.
Tale Of The Tape
Kandra is a power guard who plays with good toughness and short-area power. His range of control through reps is not the most refined and will test his abilities at the NFL level. With below-average foot speed and some lower-body tightness, he’s a close-quarters player who gets caught leaning and struggles to redirect his track on reps that feature longer landmarks.
He’s a tough nut to crack down the middle, though. Kandra’s midline is stout, and as a result, he’s been able to take a lot of reps in close quarters with bumpers on either side to protect his edges. In these instances, his lack of length is protected, and he can fully embrace his power and force rushers to come through him.
Kandra has good core strength and does offer the tight punch and pop his hands needed to neutralize rush defenders. But he’s missing the reach to offset early, which means he must continue to develop his patience and hand-timing to be properly synced as rushers reach his strike zone.
As a run blocker, Kandra shows good initial movement but is better in vertical releases and solo blocks than he projects to an outside zone scheme. When he can latch his hands, Kandra shows the ability to leverage, torque, and pivot defenders out of gaps, helping to create running lane creases inside. However, wide zone schemes looking for explosive contact and sustained connection throughout the rep will likely sour on the foot speed and the missing gravitational pull in his reps.
Kandra could, in theory, cut some weight and try to capture more of a dynamic blocking radius. But it’s a total shot in the dark as to how well it would boost his play, and therefore, he should be considered a scheme-specific player with high-variance outcomes.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Kandra projects as a developmental depth player on the offensive line for a gap-heavy running scheme.
Grade: 69.50/100.00, Sixth Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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