NFL contracts are beginning to fall in place for the Iowa State draftees, as Charlie Kolar is the latest Cyclone to ink his rookie deal. On Thursday, the Baltimore Ravens signed Kolar to a four-year contract.

According to OverTheCap, the contract is valued at over $4.36 million with a yearly average of over $1 million. Kolar also earned himself a signing bonus of $704,880.

Kolar garnered attention from NFL teams, like the Ravens, due to his on-the-field presence at Iowa State. Standing at 6-foot-6 and over 250 pounds, Kolar used his superior size and great hands to become a significant red-zone threat for the Cyclones.

Not only does Kolar possess the size to be a great NFL tight end – as fellow Raven Mark Andrews, San Francisco’s George Kittle and Kansas City’s Travis Kelce all stand above 6-foot-4 and around 250 pounds – he also excels on the mental side of the game. 

Kolar finished his time at Iowa State with a 3.99 GPA in mechanical engineering and received the William V. Campbell Trophy in 2021, which is widely regarded as the Academic Heisman. He was also a finalist for the John Mackey Award in 2020 and 2021.

In his final season in cardinal and gold, Kolar had 62 catches for 756 yards with six touchdowns. He had 168 catches for 2,181 yards and 23 touchdowns in four years.

Although Kolar was expected to be one of the first five tight ends taken in the draft, he slid to the fourth round, as the Ravens selected him with the 128th pick in the draft. Baltimore saw the value in that round and made their picks, as mid- to late-round tight ends have shined in the NFL as of recently. Kolar became the highest selection of a tight end in Cyclone history.

Kolar joined a strong Ravens tight end room headed by Andrews and veteran Nick Boyle. Kolar has gained comparisons to his new teammate Andrews, who led the NFL tight ends in receptions (107)  and yards (1,361) and was tied for first in touchdowns (9) in the 2021-22 season.

The Ravens selected another tight end in the same round as Kolar in Isaiah Likely from Coastal Carolina. With the amount of talent in the tight end room, Kolar will have tough competition for playing time in the NFL.