Evan Tengesdahl
Cincinnati#100 overallDraft Movement
Down 11 spots since Jun 8
Scouting Report
Evan Tengesdahl is the quiet developmental win in this class. Cincinnati signed him out of Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio, as a three-star in the 2023 class, redshirted him, and used him in a reserve role for two seasons before he won the starting left guard job in fall camp ahead of 2025. He then started every game, logged 735 blocking snaps across 13 contests, and allowed zero sacks with two hits and nine hurries on 408 pass-blocking snaps. PFF ranked him the second-best returning guard in college football, noting he led all Power Four guards with an 89.7 run-blocking grade and led the Power Four with 10 big-time blocks, while his 85.4 overall grade was third in the country. By PFF's wins above average metric he was the most valuable Power Four guard returning to school. He posted clean sheets on 56 snaps at Oklahoma State and 61 snaps against Iowa State, anchoring a front that gave up seven sacks all year, second fewest in the country, and the Associated Press named him a third-team All-American. The projection concerns are physical rather than performance based. His arms run short and the build is squatty, which caps the length-based wins NFL guards lean on, and the timed athleticism is average for pulls and second-level range. He returns for 2026 already cross-training at multiple spots, the staff's own bet that interior flexibility completes his case.
The Tape
Strengths
- Led all Power Four guards with an 89.7 PFF run-blocking grade in 2025
- 85.4 overall PFF grade, third among all guards in the country
- allowed zero sacks on 408 pass-blocking snaps, just two hits and nine hurries
- led the Power Four with 10 big-time blocks, PFF's highest-graded blocks
- powerful 320-pound frame with real torque and finish through the whistle
- clean sheets in 56 snaps at Oklahoma State and 61 against Iowa State
- anchored a line that surrendered seven sacks all season, second fewest nationally
- AP third-team All-American in his first year as a starter
Weaknesses
- Short arms and a squatty build cap the length-based wins NFL guards depend on
- average timed athleticism limits range on pulls and to the second level
- only one season of starting film to evaluate
- his two thinnest tapes came against Arizona and Baylor, the best fronts he faced
- Big 12 interior schedule was light on NFL-caliber defensive tackles, leaving the strength-of-schedule case open
- pass-protection grade trails his run blocking by a wide margin
- positional versatility is a stated goal rather than proven film
NFL Comparison
Cooper Beebe power-based interior finisher with length questions; Trey Smith run-game torque at guard; Nate Davis squatty, anchor-first build
College Stats
2023: redshirt; 2024 (RS Fr): 2 G, reserve; 2025 (RS So, first year starting): 13 G/13 starts at LG, 735 blocking snaps, 0 sacks allowed on 408 pass-blocking snaps (2 hits, 9 hurries), 89.7 PFF run-blocking grade (1st among P4 guards), 85.4 overall (3rd nationally), 10 big-time blocks (1st in P4)
College Market Value
Our model prices him at $1.03M on the open college market, built from production, pedigree, role and Cincinnati's program money. No credible deal has been reported for him this season.
Every P4 player priced, math public: College players & NIL · Roster spend
Measurables
Awards & Honors
2025 Associated Press third-team All-American; PFF's No. 2 returning offensive guard in college football for 2026; most valuable returning Power Four guard by PFF wins above average