How high could UNC’s Charlie Heck and Jason Strowbridge be drafted?
When Jason Strowbridge and Charlie Heck arrived at North Carolina in 2015, both were undersized, three-star prospects with dreams to one day make it to the NFL.
Five years later, their dreams could come true, even if it happens in an unconventional way.
Both Heck and Strowbridge are expected to be drafted by an NFL team on either Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft, which begins on Thursday.
Because of the coronavirus, Heck and Strowbridge have met and worked out with teams only by Zoom. Their Pro Days were canceled, and they’ve had to stay in shape on their own.
Had the coronavirus not happened, Heck said his plan was to work out in Chapel Hill after his Pro Day. Instead, he is spending it working out at home in Kansas City. He’s fortunate that his family has a home gym. His father, Andy Heck, is the offensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.
His brother, Jon Heck, who is on UNC’s strength and conditioning staff, came home for a week and put him through a workout, he said.
Strowbridge said he had planned to go to Chapel Hill also. But he’s at his home in Deerfield Beach, Florida, where he works out at local parks, which remain open in his town.
If drafted, Strowbridge and Heck would be the second and third UNC players drafted in the past two years. Former UNC linebacker Cole Holcomb was drafted in the fifth round last year by Washington.
“It’s crazy that it’s almost here,” Strowbridge said on a Zoom call earlier this week. “I don’t know if it’ll sink in when it happens.”
Where Strowbridge could land
Strowbridge was a three-star defensive end coming out of Deerfield Beach High School. He suffered fractures in both feet during training camp of his freshman year and decided to redshirt.
Strowbridge said he still thinks back to that time when he needs motivation. That was a turning point in his college career.
“I was like, I can be a victim of my circumstances, or do what I came here to do,” Strowbridge said.
Strowbridge decided on the latter. He was a three-year starter. And during his senior season, he accumulated 45 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He earned third-team All-ACC honors, and helped the Tar Heels to a 7-6 season.
Strowbridge was invited to the NFL Combine, where he ran a 4.89 in the 40-yard dash and put up 26 reps in the bench press.
Jordan Reid, a former assistant coach and quarterback at N.C. Central, and now senior NFL draft analyst for The Draft Network, projects Strowbridge, a 6-5, 285-pound defensive lineman, to be drafted in the fourth round.
He said Strowbridge really impressed some NFL teams with his performance at the senior bowl in January. In the one-on-one matchups against offensive lineman, Strowbridge was dominant, Reid said.
“He won every single matchup I saw,” Reid said in a phone interview with The News & Observer. “That’s what you want to see from these guys. He has really good hands. Fantastic power. He’ll be a steal for somebody in the mid rounds.”
Strowbridge said NFL teams see him as a 4-3 scheme defensive end, who can move to defensive tackle on passing downs
Where Heck could land
Heck was a three-star 247-pound tight end coming out of high school at Rockhurst in Kansas City.
The son of a former NFL offensive lineman, and younger brother of a former UNC offensive lineman, Heck moved over to offensive line and redshirted his freshman season.
The now 6-8, 311-pound offensive tackle, started all but one game 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, who was responsible for protecting Sam Howell’s blind side, won second team All-ACC honors. He surrendered only one sack all season and played half the season with a cast on his broken hand.
Heck was also invited to the NFL combine, where he ran a 5.16 in the 40-yard dash and bench pressed 21 repetitions.
Reid, the draft analyst, projects Heck to be selected in the fifth round.
“He has NFL DNA you’re looking for,” Reid said. “He’s a guy that comes with a lot of maturity. He moves really well for his size. He’s really light on his feet.”
Heck said it helps having a father who is an NFL coach because he’s been able to ask him for advice. They’ve even pondered the idea of him being drafted or signed to Kansas City.
If that were to happen, he said he thinks they’ll handle it well.
“I think it would be stressful for my mom, though,” Heck joked.
Making the most of it
Both Heck and Strowbridge said they’ll be at home, waiting with family and watching the draft on television. Their phones will be nearby as they wait on teams to call.
“For my loved ones to be there, when my name gets called is all that matters to me,” Strowbridge said.
Both also said they’ll be rooting for each other and the rest of their teammates to hear their names called.
And if neither is drafted, they say they’ll keep working.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to have an opportunity,” Heck said, “and I’m going to go out there and make the most of it.”
This story was originally published April 22, 2020 at 2:15 PM.
