Charlie Heck
Miami DolphinsModel Score
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
Season Stats · 14 games
Draft & College
He went earlier than consensus.
Comps
STM Take
Two career tier 5 finishes (#36 in 2021, #38 in 2025) bookend three seasons of swing-tackle backup duty. The 2025 Tampa Bay role was almost certainly injury-replacement-driven given Wirfs's documented 2025 issues. At 28 the trajectory is what the four-year journeyman sample says: dependable swing-tackle backup with occasional starter-grade stretches when injuries open the role.
Heck came out of North Carolina as Houston's 4th-round pick (126th overall) in 2020. His father Andy Heck was a 1989 1st-round pick by Seattle who played 12 NFL seasons and now coaches offensive line. He spent four seasons in Houston as a swing-tackle backup, with brief flashes of usable production (tier 5 #36 finish in 2021). Tampa Bay signed him as veteran depth in 2025 and he stepped into a meaningful role when Tristan Wirfs's injury issues hit. The tier 5 (#38) finish in 2025 matches his 2021 career high.
Strengths
- Two career tier 5 finishes (#36, #38) plus the father-son NFL OL pedigree (his dad Andy Heck coaches OL) gives him a technical foundation above most 4th-round picks.
- Six NFL seasons of survival as a swing-tackle plus the willingness to play either tackle spot makes him a defined roster asset.
Concerns
- Two career tier 5 finishes with no tier 4-or-better season shows the structural ceiling. The 2025 sample was likely injury-replacement-driven.
- Tampa Bay's 2026 tackle picture depends on Wirfs's health; if Wirfs is back, Heck returns to swing-tackle backup.
What to watch: Whether Tampa Bay retains Heck as Wirfs's primary backup in 2026 or whether the team moves on for a cheaper younger option.