Luke Kandra NFL draft projection: Exploring top 3 landing spots for Cincinnati OG ft. New York Giants

Offensive guard Luke Kandra has been a stable presence for the Cincinnati Bearcats for several seasons. He emerged as a starter in 2023, starting 888 snaps, and remained in that position in 2024, taking 803 snaps for the Bearcats. In 2024, he exclusively played right guard.

His strong and steady play over the past two seasons has made him an interesting option in the 2025 NFL draft. Although he is not a top pick among offensive guards, he is still a good option in the mid to late rounds. According to Pro Football Focus, he is the No. 144-ranked player in the draft.

However, in a weak draft class for offensive guards, Kandra is the No. 4-ranked player in his position. As a result, a team desperate for an offensive guard could take him earlier than expected. These are three teams that could be a good fit for him.

Top three landing spots for Cincinnati OG Luke Kandra

#1 New York Giants

Most NFL draft experts have predicted that the Giants will select a QB with the third pick in the draft. Colorado's Shedeur Sanders has been linked to the Giants heavily, but it also would not be a surprise to see them select Miami's Cam Ward.

If the Giants have a rookie quarterback next season, they will want to make sure he is protected. As a result, they could look to draft one of the top offensive guards like Luke Kandra in the mid or late rounds.

#2 Chicago Bears

The Bears drafted QB Caleb Williams with the first pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Although Williams had a solid season, he struggled behind a weak offensive line. The Bears need to address it if Williams is going to succeed long-term in Chicago.

Right guard and center are the two biggest points of weakness for the Bears on their offensive line. So, Luke Kandra would be a perfect fit for them.

#3 Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys have expressed interest in drafting running back Ashton Jeanty with the 12th pick. If that is the case, they will need to ensure that they have a strong offensive line so that he has room to develop in his rookie season.

Picking up someone like Luke Kandra who can help give space to the running game would help tremendously.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by Krutik Jain