Sam Hecht

The Player

Hecht is a tough, smart, and rangy technician with short arms and average size. He tied for the fourth-fastest 10-yard split among offensive linemen at the combine. He moves well laterally and can reach defensive tackles lined up over the guard’s inside shoulder. 

He gets into position, stays connected, and either walls off defensive linemen or washes them down the line in the run game. He tracks linebackers and takes sound angles working up to the second level. He gets out in front, locates targets, and can overpower defenders when he pulls and releases on screens. He blocks to the whistle. 

Hecht fits best in zone-heavy schemes. He’s a positional blocker with average size, and bigger, more powerful nose tackles can stand him up. His shorter arms hinder his ability to get his hands on defenders in space. He gets set quickly and works his hands inside as a pass blocker. He mirrors well, and flashes the ability to recover when he gets caught out of position. He can give ground, but tends to dig and anchor well enough against power rushers. He identifies and calls out fronts, and picks up stunts and blitzes.

Lee Hunter’s length and power gave Hecht problems on a couple of snaps in the Texas Tech game. He didn’t post any outstanding test results at the combine that correlate well with success in the NFL, but he had a strong overall showing. A former walk-on, Hecht started all 25 games over the past two seasons.

The Draft 

Hecht is a top-100 overall prospect and could be the first center drafted. At least one Kansas State player has been drafted in the first three rounds in each of the past three drafts. 

The Projection

Hecht reminds me of Garrett Bradbury, another smart, tough, and athletic center with arms that measured shorter than 32 inches at the combine. Hecht didn’t test as well as Bradbury did at the combine, and he won’t go in the first round like Bradbury did, but he’s capable of starting early in his career and there’s a lot to like about his floor as an NFL center.