Sam Hecht is a 6’4, 303 pound center from Kansas State University. Hecht is from Shawnee, KS and went to my alma mater, Mill Valley High School, where he won back-to-back state championships in his junior and senior year before walking on at K-State in 2021. He redshirted his freshman year, and played in 42 games with 25 starts from 2022-2025, with his 25 starts being his last 25 games, which was every game starting from Week 1 of the 2024 season. Never missed a game with injuries or otherwise. In 2024, he was awarded Second Team All-Big 12. In 2025, he played 759 snaps with 7 total pressures, 0 sacks, 0 QB hits, and committed 0 penalties. For this, he was fittingly awarded First Team All-Big 12 and garnered a Senior Bowl invite. At the Senior Bowl, Hecht barely lost a rep, which boosted his draft stock to being recognized as one of the top centers in the class.
Athletically, Hecht possesses a large, wide lower half and a slightly narrower filled out upper half. He is an elite lateral mover as he practically glides side to side on tape. He is very agile in space, and has elite burst off the line and good speed down the field. Has good play strength, he doesn’t move people with strength alone but doesn’t get moved either. He has shorter arms for the position, with 31 ⅝ inches, which puts him in the 23rd percentile. This shows up on tape when defenders get to either side of him, however he makes up for this with smart hand usage and with quick feet to reposition himself in front of defenders or by redirecting them out of the play using their leverage and momentum against them. This speaks to his mental acumen, as he is a very technically sound blocker who knows how to use his strengths to make up for areas he lacks in. He also doesn’t commit penalties, as he had none in 2025, which speaks to his discipline in his technique. He also has great endurance, he can play the entire 60 minutes without a dip in his play. He is competitive, as he always plays through the whistle and finishes blocks consistently.
The biggest strength of his game comes from his zone blocking ability. His quick feet and burst off the line allow him to quickly execute reach blocks and wall off defenders. Getting him in space with time to find his man is where he excels best, as once he gets his hands on a moving defender, he can easily drive them out of the play using his strong lower half. Hecht is also a capable man blocker, as he is a very good puller who gets to his man quickly and neutralizes them. His double team technique is elite, and his narrower frame allows him to shed blocks with ease and climb to the second level fast to open up gaps for the RB. Where he struggles on tape is when he has to drive step and block a defender quickly, penetrating defenders are able to hold their ground against him, and he had a few plays where he blocked the wrong guy, all of them occurred when there was a 0 tech lined up directly in front of him who got his hands on Hecht quickly. This I believe can be easily fixed with coaching, ideally though teams should find ways to get Hecht moving in the run game instead of being a stationary blocker. In pass protection, Hecht holds the pocket extremely well. He has a very fast snap and hand reset, and he is able to independently use his hands. His placement is very good, however he can work on his timing, as he tends to shoot his hands a little earlier than he should, which leaves him susceptible to swipe moves. He plays with solid pad level, but has room for improvement. His anchor technique is also elite, as his stronger lower half makes it very difficult for power moves to be effective. He is very good at hooking defenders and reading their counter moves as well. He doesn’t have wasted movement with his feet, and is capable of picking up stunts and twists.
Overall, Hecht is a 6’4, 303lb center with 31 ⅝ inch arms. He has a massive, wide base with a slightly narrower filled out upper frame. Hecht is an extremely agile and technically sound player, whose strengths lie in his zone blocking skills, being an excellent mover in space and with quick and effective reach blocks. In man blocking, he holds the line of scrimmage, but doesn’t move it, however he is very good at using defender’s leverage against them to steer them out of plays. In pass protection, he has quick feet and an elite anchor combined with very good hand placement. His recovery is ok, but his shorter arm length shows up when rushers get to the sides of him. He has areas he can improve in, but are things that are easily fixable with experience and coaching. Hecht should be a second contract caliber starting center and have a productive NFL career.
Scheme Fit and Team Fit: Zone Blocking Schemes
Hecht would excel in a system that allows him to move in space and see how plays are developing, as he does a very good job navigating traffic in space to find a man to block. This isn’t to say he can’t man block, as he is a capable man blocker, but his strengths lie in his zone blocking ability. Teams with coaches from the Shanahan tree utilize a high percentage of wide zone blocking schemes, teams like the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, and Miami Dolphins would be ideal fits for Hecht.
NFL Player Comp: Jake Brendel
Brendel and Hecht share the same height, weight, and arm length. Brendel is also known for his quick steps and ability to wall off nose tackles in the run game, which are both key strengths of Hecht’s game as well, not to mention his role in the 49ers offense is how I see Hecht being used in the league.
Projection: High End Starter
I see Hecht as a day 1 starter in the league. There will be some growing pains initially, however within the right system and a few seasons under his belt, I think he can grow into a reliable starting center who outperforms his draft stock and is recognized as one of the better centers in the league.
Grade and Round Projection: 5.25, Second Round Pick
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