Sam Hecht NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Carolina Panthers IOL

The Carolina Panthers selected Kansas State IOL Sam Hecht with the No. 144 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

Sam Hecht is a thickly built, sturdy, and alert presence at the pivot who won't overwhelm in space but brings solid play strength and clear eyes to hold ground, sort movement, and keep the offense on schedule. His middling power and recovery ability cap his ceiling, but his technical consistency and reliability project to a high-floor interior swing backup with starter potential early in his rookie contract.

Hecht is a 6'4", 303-pound interior line prospect who entered the Kansas State program a walk-on and unranked recruit in the 2021 class.

Hecht is a two-year starting center with 25 career starts at the pivot, including 12 in 2025 while earning first team All-Big 12 honors. He was born on April 3, 2003, and accepted his invite to the 2026 Senior Bowl. The former Wildcat trained for the combine under Duke Manyweather at OL Masterminds.

Brandon Thorn: Brandon is the author of the Trench Warfare newsletter, which focuses exclusively on offensive and defensive line evaluation. He also contributes as an analyst to Establish the Run, serves as the scouting coordinator for OL Masterminds and is a selection committee member for the Joe Moore Award. 

Highlights

Sam Hecht highlights

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Where He Wins

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— Thick, well-rounded build with solid play strength.

— Keeps elbows connected to hips with tight hand placement.

— Clear eyes to make quick decisions, sort and stay on schedule against post-snap movement.

— Sturdy presence on down linemen to cover up and occupy on angle-drive and double-team blocks.

Areas of Improvement

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— Below average fluidity and redirect skills create soft edges late in the rep and against counter moves.

— Middling power result in limited ability to uproot defenders on command or finish with authority.

Grade, Rank and Pro Comparison

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GRADE: 7.2 (High-Level Backup/Starter Upside — 3rd Round)

COMPARABLE GRADE: Hunter Nourzad (6.9 in 2024), Joe Tippmann (7.4 in 2023), Luke Fortner (7.2 in 2022)

OVERALL RANK: 89

POSITION RANK: IOL6

PRO COMPARISON: Tyler Biadasz

Measurables and Testing Data

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Height: 6'4"
Weight: 303
Arm: 31 ⅝"
Hand: 9 ⅞"

40-Yard Dash: 5.1
10-Yard Split: 1.73
Vertical: 28"
Broad: 8'5"
Shuttle: 4.71
3-Cone: 7.75
Bench: NA