When NFL.com handed out post-draft report cards, the Carolina Panthers landed at No. 11 overall with a B+ grade. Unsurprisingly, most of the attention centered on first-round offensive tackle Monroe Freeling and second-round defensive lineman Lee Hunter.
But buried in editor at large Gennaro Filice’s breakdown was something far more interesting for Carolina’s immediate future.
"[Sam] Hecht should immediately compete for the starting job.”
The Panthers lost Cade Mays to the Detroit Lions and Austin Corbett to the Buffalo Bills in free agency. That left a very real hole at the center spot, one that the team patched with a one-year veteran signing in Luke Fortner.
Carolina Panthers will give Sam Hecht a shot to oust Luke Fortner immediately
Fortner brings experience. What he doesn’t bring is long-term security. He’s on a one-year deal after losing his starting job with the Jacksonville Jaguars two years ago and later filling in due to injury on the New Orleans Saints. That’s a placeholder you challenge. And that’s exactly why Sam Hecht was drafted.
The analysis from Chad Reuter of NFL.com zeroed in on Hecht’s path to playing time: “Hecht's athleticism and intensity as the leader of Kansas State's line leads me to believe he could be the guy at center as a rookie… He should be given every chance to win the job in training camp.”
This isn’t a projection based on traits alone, but also on the résumé. Hecht started 25 straight games at center in college, allowing zero sacks. He didn't concede a penalty in his final campaign at Kansas State, securing first-team All-Big 12 honors. The incoming rookie also played with the kind of technical consistency coaches trust immediately.
That last part matters more than measurables for a rookie center. You don’t get on the field there because you’re flashy. You get on the field because you don’t mess things up. Hecht’s entire scouting profile screams exactly that.
Hecht was a 245-pound walk-on tackle who had to add 50-plus pounds, switch positions to guard, and then learn center late in his college career. That matters here because Carolina doesn’t need a center who thinks he’s entitled to the job. They need someone who treats every rep as if it could be taken away.
By the time training camp battles start, most fans will be watching Freeling at tackle. But the more interesting competition may be happening in the middle of the line, where a fifth-round rookie with a walk-on background is trying to beat out a veteran on a one-year contract.
And if he does? It won’t be a surprise to the people who studied this draft class the most closely. Because Hecht has a real path to a starting job.
Add us as a preferred source on Google