UNC’s Charlie Heck drafted by Houston Texans in 4th round
Former North Carolina offensive tackle Charlie Heck was selected in the 4th round of the NFL draft by the Houston Texans.
He is the first UNC player to be picked in the 2020 draft.
The now 6-8, 311-pound offensive tackle, started all but one game for the Tar Heels from his redshirt sophomore to redshirt senior seasons.
The one game he missed was because he broke his hand during a game. He returned the following week.
Heck was voted second team All-ACC for the 2019 season. He surrendered only one sack all season and played half the season with a cast on his broken hand.
“We couldn’t be prouder of Charlie and want to congratulate him on this accomplishment,” UNC coach Mack Brown said in a statement. “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.”
He ran a 5.16 in the 40-yard dash and bench pressed 21 repetitions in the NFL combine. Heck is also the son of former NFL veteran and current Kansas City Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck. His father was drafted No. 15 overall to the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 1989 draft. He played 12 seasons.
Jordan Reid, a senior NFL draft analyst for The Draft Network, told The News & Observer in an interview earlier this week that, Heck is “a guy that comes with a lot of maturity.”
“He moves really well for his size,” Reid added. “He’s really light on his feet.”
According to NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, Heck’s weakness include his height and “playing with bend.”
“He carries an NFL-ready frame with long arms and loose hips for move blocks and recoveries,” Zierlein wrote. “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.”
This story was originally published April 25, 2020 at 1:12 PM.
