Ravens tight end takes pride in blocking role; wants to contribute more as a pass catcher

Charlie Kolar believes he is capable of making even more plays in the passing game as he strives to become a complete player.

During his collegiate career at Iowa State, blocking was far from the forte of Baltimore Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar. In fact, his expertise was the polar opposite as he was a prolific pass catcher and focal point of the Cyclones’ aerial attack for three years after breaking out as a sophomore.

When he was the first of the two tight ends the Ravens selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, it was expected that he’d play a similar role in the pros given his big but lean and lanky frame at 6-foot-6 and 252 pounds.

However, since entering the league, he has been working towards becoming the primary blocking tight end in the offense to increase his likelihood of seeing the field more often. Kolar now weighs 267 pounds and the role he is aiming to seize firm control of is as the No. 3 option with three-time Pro Bowler Mark Andrews and his fellow third-year pro Isaiah Likely—who was taken in the same round 11 spots after him—entrenched as the top two on the depth chart.

“I didn’t block anyone in college, so it was definitely learning the first few years,” Kolar said Tuesday. “I put on good weight, feel like I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been in the league. I think if I can continue to grow in that world there’s a lot of snaps available.”

Growing up, his parents instilled in him the value of taking pride in any and everything he does from the massive to miniscule tasks as simple as washing dishes. While his career hasn’t gone exactly how he would’ve imagined it, Kolar takes a tremendous amount of pride in executing the duties that are asked of him and can get him on the field the most whether it’s blocking on offense or special teams or trying to make a tackle on one of the kick/punt coverage units.

“You’ve got to take pride in what you do, and I think that if my job is to be the best blocker in the league, then that’s my job, and so, I’m going to take pride in what I do and try to be the best at it,” Kolar said. “And I think it’s kind of fun to hit people.”

As much as he enjoys his newfound love for imposing his will as a blocker, Kolar still believes he is capable of contributing more as a pass catcher which was his bread and butter and how he made a name for himself in college.

“I think I can be really effective in the run game and play-action world,” Kolar said. “Mark and Isaiah get most of the targets…finding where I can fit in. I believe in myself. I know we have a great room, but I believe I can continue to contribute.”

Through his first two seasons in the NFL, Kolar has appeared in 17 regular season games and has only managed to record a combined 11 receptions on 15 targets for 136 receiving yards and one touchdown.

For reference, he bested those measly totals in his freshman year of college alone with 11 catches for 137 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games. In his senior season, Kolar eclipsed those figures in just one game when he went off in a shootout with Oklahoma and finished with 12 catches for 152 receiving yards and a touchdown.

There are countless examples of tight ends who put up impressive pass-catching numbers at the collegiate level but couldn’t translate or come anywhere near the same level of success in the pros. However, Kolar hasn’t had the opportunity to prove he can be one of the exceptional exceptions in the same way Likely has but even his opportunities to showcase his talent took Andrews getting injured or at least banged up.

The Ravens have a weird historical trend as it pertains to the tight end position for the past decade-plus when they take two in the same class. Dating back to the 2010 NFL Draft when they took Ed Dickson in the third round and Dennis Pitta in the fourth, the second of the two tends to either develop into the better pass catcher or at least have a more successful overall career. Nevertheless, those who were taken first still went on to have solid careers.

Dickson played nine years and appeared in another Super Bowl with the Carolina Panthers while Maxx Williams (second-round 2015) played eight years and split his time in the league between the Ravens and Arizona Cardinals. Hayden Hurst (first-round 2018) is entering his seventh season on his fifth different team but is reunited with former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman as part of the Los Angeles Chargers under another of his former head coach’s younger brother, Jim Harbaugh.

There’s no telling how Kolar’s career will unfold in three or four years. As of right now, he has an opportunity camp to prove the flashes he showed in the final month of the regular season were just a glimpse of what he can do when given the chance. After only receiving two targets and recording a single catch for 13 receiving yards through the first 14 weeks of the 2023 season, Kolar caught a pass of 12-plus yards in each of the last four games down the stretch including his first and lone career touchdown catch.

“I think I showed that at the end of last year and then just keep growing on that,” Kolar said.