Florida’s Kyle Pitts headlined the 2021 NFL Draft tight end class. Unfortunately, this year’s tight end class lacks a superstar like him. However, this year, there are several intriguing mid-round targets, including Iowa State’s Charlie Kolar.
Kolar was a three-star recruit in 2017, and he was the 57th rated tight end and the 20th rated player in Oklahoma. As a three-star recruit, Kolar didn’t receive offers from the top programs in the Big 12 like Texas and Oklahoma. Instead, he had offers from New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and others. Kolar ended up at Iowa State and became a critical part of the offense over the next four years.
While Kolar only played sparingly as a freshman, he broke out during his sophomore season. He finished the 2019 season with 51 receptions on 81 targets for 697 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. In 2020, Kolar put up similar numbers but played in two fewer games.
He then became the go-to target for quarterback Brock Purdy in 2021. Kolar finished second on the team with 62 receptions and 756 receiving yards while leading Iowa State with six receiving touchdowns. He was atop the Big 12 leading boards in several categories throughout his collegiate career.
