Cade Stover | Ohio State 6’4” 247 lbs June 12, 2000 (23)
Cade Stover was drafted by the Houston Texans, becoming the 8th tight end and 123rd overall player in the 2024 NFL Draft.
COLLEGE PRODUCTION
| Year | Games Played | Receptions | Receiving Yards | Yards/Catch | TD’s |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 13 | 5 | 76 | 15.2 | 0 |
| 2022 | 13 | 36 | 406 | 11.3 | 5 |
| 2023 | 12 | 41 | 576 | 14.0 | 5 |
*Statistics Pulled from Sports Reference
Cade Stover redshirted and burst on the scene playing as a defensive end and linebacker his first two seasons but then made the transition to tight end which he played his last three seasons at Ohio State. Being a team captain his last two seasons he went on to put up more impressive numbers. In 2022, he had a reception in every game and a season-high of six receptions by Penn State with a high of 83 receiving yards versus Toledo. Then in 2023, his 41 receptions and 577 yards ranked third all-time for a single season at Ohio State. Highlights of his career include a two-touchdown game against Indiana in 2022 and Purdue in 2023. His impressive 2023 season earned him first-team all-Big Ten and he was also a finalist for the John Mackey Award, which is an award given annually to the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academy and community of Pro Football Hall of Famer John Mackey.
FILM
STRENGTHS
Stover has solid bloodlines as his father, Trevor, played tight end as well at Bowling Green State in the 1990s. He’s a catch first, block second tight end who has great catch jumping ability as a receiving thread. He possesses sticky hands and great athleticism from his high school basketball days and this shows up in his excellent route running, high-point timing, and run after the catch. He’s a prospect with upside who has the tools to be a plus pass blocker and has the upside to be a productive starter with a bit more refinement at the pro level.
Sample Clip: https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/39854073
WEAKNESSES
He has an average build as some of the great NFL tight ends are 6’5” or 6′ 6” and also has room to add strength. When starting his routes he’s a little slow off the line but his biggest red flag is his blocking ability. The biggest area he needs to upgrade is his nastiness while blocking and to maintain his top speed on his routes better in the seam when searching for the pass from his quarterback.
ATHLETIC TESTING
At the combine, Cade Stover measured 6’4” and 247 lbs, which equated to a BMI of 30.1. He checked in with an impressive 40-yard dash time of 4.65 with a 1.59 10-yard split and finished with an NFL NextGen Stats composite score of 76, which projects him to be an average starter. His 34.5” vertical jump, and 9 ‘9” broad jump all put him in an average athleticism range for tight ends.
DRAFT ANALYSIS
Rapid Reaction to Draft Capital: Average
Rapid Reaction to Landing Spot: Poor
Stover was selected with the 123rd-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.
FANTASY INSIGHTS
I have Stover ranked as the number five tight end in this class for projected future Dynasty value. His profile is solid and I believe his upside player comparison is Dawson Knox or Jake Ferguson as he can be a nice security blanket for his quarterback.
Stover should go off in the early to mid-4th round of Dynasty rookie drafts. His immediate upside though is somewhat capped with his landing spot as he projects as the Texans’ second or third tight end on the roster behind Dalton Schultz and potentially even behind Brevin Jordan. Drafting him would have a more long-term outlook to be the starting tight end down the road.
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