The Carolina Panthers entered the draft with one center on the roster, Luke Fortner. After the 144th selection, they now have two. Kansas State center Sam Hecht has now joined the Panthers, and he is an incredible steal at this point.

Sam Hecht is a Carolina Panther.

— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) April 25, 2026

He's ESPN's 80th-ranked prospect, but he's the second-best center in their rankings, so the Panthers made out like bandits here. He is the perfect player to develop behind Fortner for a season and take over as the long-term Cade Mays replacement.

The Panthers manipulated the draft board and played chess to come out on top like this.…