Sam Hecht News: Picked by Panthers

The Panthers selected Hecht in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 144th overall.

Hecht only emerged as starter in his fourth and fifth seasons at Kansas State, but he played very well from that point and otherwise logged pre-draft athletic testing with mostly good results. At 6-foot-4, 303 pounds Hecht has only an average frame by center standards, though, and his 31 and 5/8-inch arms grade as only 13th percentile among centers, according to Mockdraftable. Second-round pick Logan Jones of the Bears had even shorter arms yet, but Jones is something like a 90th-percentile athlete at center while Hecht is probably only something more like a 65th-percentile athlete at center. Either way, there's still a plenty good chance Hecht emerges as an average or better starting center for Carolina, including potentially as soon as 2026. Luke Fortner is the only competition otherwise, and Hecht might be better as a rookie.