NFL Draft Preview: Offensvie lineman, Charlie Heck
Offensive lineman, Charlie Heck wasn't supposed to be this "enormous" as spectators at the NFL Combine described him. Son of 12 year NFL veteran and Notre Dame alum, Andy Heck, Heck was only 6'0 and 145 in high school; Fast forward to today, he's 6'8 and 311 pounds. And proudly stating he's willing to gain 20 more.
Heck, who started 35 out of 36 games during his three years at Carolina. Heck has met with the Bears, whom his father played for and where former teammate, Mitch Trubisky currently plays, and informally with the Texans and Cowboys.
Offensive coordinator, Phil Longo, speaks on what it meant to have Heck in the lineup,
"Well, he's the veteran, he's the oldest guy, he's probably one of our most consistent players. I think those guys in the room look up to him. So, as I said earlier, he's just as much of a presence there on the sideline as he was a player. So, he was a benefit two-fold and those guys are glad just to have him back and have his leadership back, and then he was productive on the field for us. So, it's good to have Heck back in the lineup."
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
