Luke Kandra, Cincinnati: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Kandra was a three-star recruit from Elder High School in Cincinnati, Ohio in the class of 2020
Cincinnati’s Luke Kandra built quite the resume with the Bearcats, earning All-American honors in back-to-back years. Kandra is a powerful guard, but physical limitations significantly impact his projection in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Luke Kandra, G Cincinnati: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Redshirt senior right guard from Cincinnati, Ohio
Background: Kandra was a three-star recruit from Elder High School in Cincinnati, Ohio in the class of 2020. He was the No. 646 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 771 for On3.com. Kandra was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 75 grade out of 100. He transferred from Louisville to Cincinnati for the 2023 season. Kandra played guard and defensive tackle in high school. He was a team captain as a senior and earned Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year honors. Kandra earned First Team All-District and Second Team All-State honors as a senior. He was a Second Team All-District player as a junior. Kandra finished his career with two First Team All-GCL South Division selections. He also competed in basketball and was on the track and field team, finishing tenth in shot put and 15th in discus at the state championships. Kandra was born on Aug. 8, 2001.
Injuries & Off-Field: Missed most of his high school sophomore year with pneumonia, held out of four games in 2022 with a sprained ankle
Awards: 2023 Second Team All-Big 12, 2023 First Team All-Big 12 (Associated Press, Athlon Sports, PFF), 2023 Honorable Mention Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, 2023 Second Team All-American (Walter Camp), 2023 Third Team All-American (Associated Press), 2023 All-Portal Team (The Athletic), 2024 First Team All-Big 12, 2024 Second Team All-American (CFN, SI), 2024 Honorable Mention Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, 2024 Team Captain
Pros: Experience playing left and right guard, rarely penalized, thick throughout frame, explodes off the line, jump sets put rushers in a bind, easy horizontal mover, active and combative hands, replaces hands and throws follow-up punches quickly, snatch-trap, attacks and snatches the defender’s hands, arm extensions knock defenders backward, nice power in hands to deter 3-techs, saves the oversetting RT, recognizes and picks up stunts, destroys blitzing linebackers, frame’s the 1-tech’s outside shoulder and takes them for a ride, digs out 3-techs to widen A-gap, enough speed to execute short pulls, comfortable redirecting/climbing on combo blocks, pancakes second level defenders, eager for opportunities to pancake defenders
Cons: Some bad weight to cut, tight hips, sawed-off frame, pad level pops up quickly, waist bending, chest frequently over knees, relies heavily on leaning in pass pro, forward lean makes him vulnerable to club-swims, put on skates when defensive linemen get into his chest, occasionally misses LB blitzes, awareness leads to missing opportunities to help center or tackle, displacement generated is unexciting, more leg drive required, inconsistent balance stepping into contact, bit of a plodder in the open field, not a comfortable mover in space, lacks mobility for long pulls, struggles to mirror second level defenders in space, overshoots targets climbing to the second level
Overview: Kandra played more than 1,900 of his 2,053 career offensive snaps at right guard but also has minor experience on the left side. He’s a clean player who was only penalized twice in his career. Kandra is a thickly built lineman with a sawed-off frame. His arms measured 31 7/8 inches at the NFL Scouting Combine and 32 3/8 inches at Cincinnati’s pro day. Kandra is tight-hipped, which causes his pad level to rise quickly after the snap and leads to a significant amount of waist bending and leaning in pass protection, which compromises his balance and makes him vulnerable to club-swims. He appeared to be carrying some bad weight in 2024. Kandra explodes off the line for quick jump sets that prevent rushers from entering their plans. He deploys combative hands that he quickly replaces to re-latch or throw follow-up punches. Kandra also deploys a snatch-trap and targets the defender’s hands with precise snatches. The Ohio native drives impressive power through his short arms, enabling him to knock defenders backward in pass protection. His hands’ power stalls and re-routes defensive tackles. Kandra struggles to re-anchor when defensive linemen get into his chest. He quickly recognizes stunts and provides quality help when his right tackle falters, but he’s not immune to lapses in awareness that lead to easy pressure. Kandra creates good horizontal displacement by driving down the 1-tech or kicking out the 3-tech on angle blocks, but his leg drive and poor leverage prevent him from generating significant vertical displacement. His forward lean comes back to bite him when he attempts to initiate contact. Kandra lunges and gets so far forward that he’s unable to recover if the defender slips his punch. He offers enough speed for short pulls but plods on longer pulls and lacks the agility and looseness to mirror defenders in space. Kandra seeks out pancake opportunities working off combo blocks but takes inconsistent angles to second level defenders.
Overall, Kandra’s hand usage, short area explosiveness, and football IQ make him worth a late Day 3 selection as a low-ceiling, high-floor prospect. His physical limitations, balance and posture in pass protection, and inconsistent ability to find bodies at the second level limit his projection.
Role & Scheme Fit: Right guard in an inside zone or gap scheme
Round Grade: Late Sixth to Early Seventh Round
Size: 6'4 3/4", 319 lbs. (NFL Combine)
Submitted: 10-07-24
Updated: 12-10-24