Charlie Heck was just like everyone else in that 2020 disrupted his plans.
After the Houston Texans drafted Heck in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft, the expectation was he would get to take part in a normal offseason and training camp as part of the usual ramp-up rookies experience as they integrate into pro football. Instead, the COVID-19 lockdowns ensured Heck got to experience neither — just a big, month-long training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center before the regular season kicked off.
When the real normal of an offseason program and preseason games returned, Heck wanted to utilize the opportunity to grow as an offensive lineman.
“I didn’t really get that offseason, so, this year I really wanted to take full advantage of this one,” Heck said. “So, I really was here every day, living in the weight room, meeting everybody and learning the new offense.”
Heck’s father is Andy Heck, the offensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, who also played in the NFL from 1989-2000. It is ingrained in the younger Heck that it is the little details behind the scenes that lead to success on the field.
Living in the weight room was a trait of Heck’s that first-year coach David Culley noticed in the offseason.
“When I came here and this staff came here, and we went in to our OTAs and went into our offseason program, I don’t know if there is a player on the team who improved as much as Charlie did from the start to this point right now,” Culley said. “And that’s not surprising because he has a great work ethic.”
As such, Heck has been able to gain some strength and confidence.
“I was able to get in at the end of the year in some of the games and I definitely had my struggles but I kind of proved to myself that I can play in this league and I carried that on going into the offseason,” said Heck.
Heck played in three games and started in one amid the Texans’ 4-12 campaign last year. In 2021, Heck gets the opportunity to play in preseason games to hone his craft rather than live action that counts against the team’s record.
“It’s live reps going against a different team and that’s how you get better is getting experience and getting those live reps,” Heck said.
The Texans expect Heck to continue to develop as he challenges incumbent Tytus Howard for the starting right tackle job.
“He’s going into that year now where you want to see that progress made, and we’re starting to see that,” said Culley. “And that’s what happens when you do what he did to be in the position that he’s in right now.”