Breaking: Charlie Heck Selected by Houston Texans in Fourth Round
Charlie Heck is the first Tar Heel to be drafted. He was pick 126 in the fourth round to the Houston Texans.
"This is a dream come true," said Heck. "I've grown up around the NFL all of my life and never thought I'd be in this position. But, through a lot of hard work and dedication, and the support from my family, friends, coaches, and everyone in my life, I now have an opportunity to fulfill my dreams and that's all anyone can ask for. I want to thank the Houston Texans for believing in me and giving me this chance. I promise I will work as hard as I can to be an asset to your franchise. I also want to thank everyone at UNC for their help throughout my time there. I'm so excited and can't wait to get to work."
Heck, who started 35 out of 36 games during his three years at Carolina. He was second team All-ACC in 2019 and the 239th Tar Heel to be taken in the NFL Draft.
Carolina football head coach, Mack Brown, spoke on the type of player the Texans are getting,
"We couldn't be prouder of Charlie and want to congratulate him on this accomplishment. It didn't take long for us to see why Charlie would be successful, both in football and in life. He worked hard. He was a leader. He played through injury when he didn't have to. He's just a good young man, who handles himself with class and integrity. The Texans got a good one in Charlie and I expect him to have a long and successful career."
Height: 6' 8"
Weight: 311 lbs
Arms: 34 1/8”
Hands: 10 1/4”
- NFL Combine Numbers:
- 40 Yard Dash: 5.16u seconds
- Bench Press: 21 reps
- Vertical Jump: 28.0 inches
- Broad Jump: 112.0 inches
- 3 Cone Drill: 8.02 seconds
- 20 Yd Shuttle: 4.86 seconds
Three-year starter with offensive line play in his bloodlines. He's a tall tackle with inevitable leverage and anchor concerns at times despite playing with bend. He carries an NFL-ready frame with long arms and loose hips for move blocks and recoveries. His range in pass sets is just average, so he needs to get on top of rushers with his length early in the rep to maintain feel and widen the arc when needed. Heck has the talent to handle swing tackle duties and should be fully functional in all run-blocking schemes.
- Strengths
- Father is an NFL offensive line coach
- Much more fluid than expected for his size
- Athleticism and agility to accelerate into or adjust to moving targets
- Makes combo blocks with desired rhythm
- Thrusts hips into base blocks and drives from insteps
- Transitions from pass punch to grip to slow the rush
- Reestablishes hand positioning through length and effort
- Gets length involved early in pass sets
- Adequate pass posture
- Makes athletic recoveries to wash rushers past quarterback
- Weaknesses
- Very tall and high-cut
- Needs to improve core strength for better body control
- Narrows his base as drive blocker
- Pad level allows him to be discarded during sustain phase
- Struggles adjusting to cross-face movements
- Early opener in pass sets
- Allows weight to slide too far outside, opening inside counter
- Hands need to be quicker with his punch
- High center of gravity leads to some anchor failure
NFL Grade: 5.96, Backup/special-teamer
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