Charlie

Kolar

He broke his arm in Baltimore’s win over the Chargers, but played through it in the fourth quarter. Based on the language used in the report, it would be surprising if he didn’t hit injured reserve, which would knock him out until at least Week 18. While the Ravens haven’t used him all that often as a receiver, Kolar’s absence will free up more snaps for Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews down the stretch.

The team continued to deploy three tight ends as Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar both were involved throughout, but it was Andrews that saw the second most targets on the team and found the end zone in the third quarter. Likely was not targeted on the evening while Kolar caught just one pass for six yards. The consistent volume is likely not coming back for the veteran tight end but he should continue to return usable fantasy scores with a robust red zone role.

The Ravens’ No. 3 tight end doubled his season total for yardage by going unblocked off the line and catching a 55-yard seam buster early in the third quarter. His touchdown was a two-yard strike one period later. He was the Ravens’ No. 2 pass catcher on the day, though Isaiah Likely somehow scored two touchdowns. Mark Andrews, for his part, caught four balls for 55 scoreless yards. Kolar isn’t creating fantasy value of his own, but along with Likely, he continues to cut into Andrews’.

He took the entirety of the three-week window allotted to him. Assuming Mark Andrews is healthy for Week 11 after Baltimore’s bye, Kolar probably won’t be a fantasy-relevant part of the Ravens offense. He could make inroads towards real playing time given the state of Baltimore’s wideout depth chart, but he’ll start out as the TE3 behind Andrews and Isaiah Likely.

Kolar has a long road to climb to make a fantasy impact behind Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, but perhaps he’ll make Nick Boyle a game-day expendable upon his return. He’ll have 21 days to practice before being activated.

The fourth-round rookie will not go under the knife until next week. It should require 4-8 weeks of rehab, making Kolar a candidate to begin the year on injured reserve. Should Kolar be placed on I.R. before final cuts he would be required to miss the entire season. A mountainous 6-foot-7, Kolar is a strong athlete who was a touchdown scorer at Iowa State. He could eventually carve out a role beyond blocking in this tight end-friendly offense. He is off the re-draft radar for 2022.

We don’t have much of an update on the rookie early on in OTAs because there’s simply not been much to talk about in the passing game with Lamar Jackson not attending. Kolar is an interesting receiving tight end prospect. But behind Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle, there’s not likely to be a lot happening for him in year one of his rookie deal without injuries.

Kolar (6'7/252) enters the draft as a 23-year-old redshirt senior after playing four seasons at Iowa State. He was a touchdown producer as soon as he stepped on a college field, accounting for a 30% touchdown share as a freshman and 29% of Iowa State’s receiving touchdowns over his career. With a 4.62 40, a 35.5-inch vertical, and a 10-foot broad jump at his Pro Day, he looks sufficiently athletic to operate as a red-zone weapon. After spending 53% of his career snaps in the slot, Kolar shouldn’t be expected to play exclusively inline, which should set him up with more receiving opportunities. He projects on the Tyler Higbee spectrum.

Kolar (6'6/260) is an interesting prospect to project. He was one of the top tight ends in the country for the last three seasons and was highly productive. His projection to the NFL is an interesting one. He plays relatively stiff in the open field but had outstanding athletic testing. The comparison to Heap is a fascinating one that makes a lot of sense. Heap was a big-bodied weapon up the seam that did most of his damage in the end zone. Kolar projects to be a similar style player, but won’t cost a first-round pick like Heap did.

Kolar (6'6/252) was a three-year producer at Iowa State, going for 591 or more yards in each of his final three seasons. In 2021, Kolar posted a receiving line of 63-764-6 and averaged 12.1 yards per reception. During Iowa State’s pro day, Kolar ran a 4.67 40-yard dash, while posting a 4.35 short shuttle time and a 35.5 inch vertical. Kolar is the 206th ranked player on PFF’s 2022 NFL Draft Big Board, and is the 14th ranked TE on their board. Given his athleticism and production, Kolar should have a chance to make an impact at the next level.