27-04-2025
Cincinnati Bearcats guard Luke Kandra
A constant for Cincinnati Bearcats football the past two seasons on the offensive line has been guard Luke Kandra. After two stellar seasons of missing no starts, the former Elder High School Panther appeared to be primed to be selected in Saturday's later rounds of the NFL draft.
But, after a day of waiting and seeing teammate John Williams get picked late by the Green Bay Packers with the 250th of 257 picks, Kandra's name was not called. The upside of that in the late rounds, is a player can pick a team where they may have a better shot at a roster spot.
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"We're just figuring that out now," Kandra said April 26.
The broad-shouldered guard should have no shortage of suitors and Bengals president Mike Brown even made a point to speak with Kandra when he appeared at the local college workout the team annually holds for potential players.
Still, there was no hiding the disappointment from Kandra.
"It was a shocker," Kandra said. "But, I've got more fuel to the fire (now)."
Kandra's comments were brief as his agent was ringing him up to discuss future plans. The Enquirer will post those plans as soon as they are made public. By many draft ratings, Kandra was the highest-rated Cincinnati Bearcat available Saturday.
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The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Kandra is nearly 24 years old and was married last summer. He was recruited out of Elder by Scott Satterfield at Louisville and followed his coach to come home and play at Nippert Stadium with the Bearcats. In addition to his blocking, he earned an MBA at UC.
Jul 9, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Cincinnati offensive linemen Luke Kandra speaks to the media during the Big 12 Media Days at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Kandra is strong, throwing up 33 reps of 225 pounds at the NFL Combine, the best of any offensive lineman. At UC, he was only whistled for one penalty over two seasons. Both seasons he was named First Team All-Big 12 and both seasons he helped clear the way for Corey Kiner to run for over 1,000 yards.
Dartanyan Tinsley
Kandra's linemate Tinsley, who now checks in at 6-foot-4 and 340 pounds, told The Enquirer he had signed with the Cleveland Browns Saturday. That pairs him with former UC defensive lineman Jowon Briggs, drafted by the Browns last season.
Cincinnati Bearcats offensive lineman Dartanyan Tinsley signed a free agent deal with the Cleveland Browns April 26.
Tinsley will have no shortage of quarterbacks in Cleveland to protect as the Brown took both Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in the draft.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats guard Luke Kandra
