Sam Hecht C Kansas State |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #75 SUB-POSITION: Center | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/23/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 5.10 seconds (82%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #75 | |
| SUB-POSITION: Center | |
| Last Updated: 03/23/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 5.10 seconds (82%*) | |
| Overall Rating: | 84.7 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
|
79% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Pass Blocking: |
|
79% |
| Run Blocking: |
|
78% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
3rd
Overall Rank:
#84
Position rank:
#16 (OL)
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| College Games: 34 College Snaps: 1665 | ||
| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sedrick Van Pran - Georgia |
|
97% |
| Luke Fortner - Kentucky |
|
89% |
| Drew Kendall - Boston College |
|
87% |
Drafted: ROUND: 5 - Pick Number: 144 (CAR)
Draft Profile: Bio
Back-to-back state championships at Mill Valley High School in Shawnee, Kansas, weren't enough to earn Sam Hecht a recruiting ranking. He picked up first-team all-state honors from both the Topeka Capital-Journal and Wichita Eagle during his senior season under head coach Joel Applebee, but arrived in Manhattan as an unranked recruit in the 2021 class, the kind of under-the-radar signing that barely registers on the national recruiting circuit.His first two years at Kansas State were exactly what you'd expect for a walk-on caliber interior lineman learning the ropes. He redshirted in 2021, then saw the field for just 18 offensive snaps across four games as a redshirt freshman in 2022. By 2023, he was still working behind the starters, logging 48 snaps as a reserve while earning most of his reps on field goal protection and special teams. The breakthroughs were academic as much as athletic during those early years, as Hecht earned First Team Academic All-Big 12 honors in both 2022 and 2023, carrying a 4.0 GPA. He was clearly biding his time.
Everything clicked once Hecht won the starting center job in 2024. He started all 13 games that season, logging a team-high 840 offensive snaps and earning All-Big 12 Second Team recognition from the league's coaches. That K-State line set school records in rushing yards per carry (6.08) and offensive yards per play (6.57), while allowing just 13 sacks, the program's fewest since 2000. In 2025, Hecht raised the bar further: 12 starts, 759 snaps, zero accepted penalties, and a promotion to All-Big 12 First Team with an honorable mention nod for Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year. He anchored a front that helped Kansas State rush for a school-record 472 yards at Utah and ranked top-ten nationally in sacks allowed per game. Invitations to both the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl followed, along with spots on the Outland Trophy and Rimington Trophy watch lists. He was also named a William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Thick, well-balanced build that allows him to absorb initial contact and hold his ground at the point of attack without giving up the pocket.
- Outstanding pass protection efficiency across two full seasons as a starter, surrendering zero sacks and only two quarterback hits in over 800 pass-blocking reps.
- Keeps his elbows glued tight and places hands inside the chest plate with precision, giving rushers nothing to swipe at or manipulate.
- Reads post-snap movement and defensive line games quickly, rarely fooled by twists, stunts, or late-arriving A-gap blitzers.
- Significant year-over-year improvement from 2024 to 2025 shows a player who processes coaching and continues to refine his craft between seasons.
- Penalty discipline is elite for an interior lineman: zero accepted flags in 2025 and only two across 840 snaps in 2024, which is borderline unheard of at the college level.
- Senior Bowl performance validated his tape completely, as he consistently won reps against bigger interior rushers and was widely regarded as the top center at the event.
- Academic All-American caliber intellect translates directly to the field; this is a player who will pick up a new playbook in days, not weeks, and communicate protection calls at an NFL level from day one.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Below-average lateral agility limits his ability to recover when beaten to the edge or redirect against counter moves late in a pass-rush rep.
- Lacks the explosive lower-body power to consistently uproot defenders at the second level or finish run blocks with the kind of authority NFL coordinators want.
- Weight sits in the 36th percentile for the position, and while he plays strong, he can get walked back by true nose tackles with a size advantage.
- Only two full seasons of starting experience at the college level, which is a thinner developmental runway than most centers drafted in the top 100.
- Run-blocking grades lagged behind his pass protection in 2024, and while he improved in 2025, he still looks more comfortable sitting in his anchor than driving forward on combo blocks.
Scouting Report: Summary
Hecht isn't a guy winning with elite athleticism or freakish power. He wins because he's always in the right spot, always balanced, always making the correct read before the defense can get home. In a league where interior pass protection is becoming increasingly valuable, a center who allowed zero sacks and two hits across 25 starts while committing almost no penalties is worth serious attention. The consistency is the calling card, and the Senior Bowl only confirmed what the film already showed.The concerns are real, though, and they're worth weighing honestly. Hecht doesn't have the movement skills to thrive in a heavy outside-zone scheme that asks its center to consistently reach and climb. He's going to be most effective in a system that features gap and inside-zone concepts, where his anchor, processing speed, and hand placement can shine without asking him to win foot races to the second level. Think of him as the kind of center who keeps the engine running smoothly rather than the guy creating explosive movement at the point of attack. There's real value in that, but it does narrow the range of offensive systems where he can maximize his skillset.
The floor here is a long-term backup who can step in for spot starts and not cost you a game, and that alone has legitimate NFL value. But there's more upside than that. Hecht's trajectory at Kansas State, from unranked recruit to two-year starter to Senior Bowl standout to All-Big 12 First Teamer, is the kind of developmental arc that scouts trust. The football character, the processing, and the technique are all there. He won't be the first center off the board, but whoever takes him is getting a player built to earn a starting job within his first two years and hold it for a while.
Sam Hecht percentiles vs other Centers (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Sam Hecht (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
83.7
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
19.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.