MANHATTAN, Kan. (KCTV) – Shawnee, Kansas, native Sam Hecht is headed to the NFL following a five-year stint at K-State.
Hecht, a 2021 Mill Valley High School alum, was drafted by the Carolina Panthers with the 144th overall pick in the 5th round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound center was drafted after a redshirt senior season that saw him be honored as an All-Big 12 First Team selection by league coaches.
Hecht started the final 25 games of his college career and appeared in 42 games as a Wildcat after redshirting in 2021.
The selection by the Panthers makes Hecht the first K-State offensive lineman to be drafted since Cooper Beebe and KT Leveston were drafted in 2024.
Hecht, like Beebe, is another local Kansas City-area high school product who reached the NFL after a career in Manhattan.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.