Sam Hecht is a name I want to keep an eye on as a potential Chicago Bears target in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The surprise retirement of Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman pushed the Bears to swing a trade with the New England Patriots to acquire Garrett Bradbury. As a short-term fit, Bradbury makes sense for this particular team. He is a veteran who has been around the block and seen pretty much everything you can expect from an opposing defense. That being said, I am also looking at the upcoming NFL Draft for potential long-term solutions at the position. This is where Kansas State standout Sam Hecht comes into play.
Hecht was recently asked about the possibility of playing for Chicago’s football team during a recent interview with Kay Adams on the Up & Adams Show. During the interview, the All-Big 12 first-team performer dished on working with Bears coaches during Kansas State’s pro day workout and even allowed himself to imagine what it would be like to block for quarterback Caleb Williams.
“Their O-line coach and assistant O-line coach were the ones putting us through the O-line drills,” Hecht explained. “It was great to meet them, and yeah, I really appreciated the relationship.
Protecting a quarterback of that caliber, that’s super exciting, for sure. The staff, the O-line coach, and the assistant O-line coach were amazing. I feel like we grew a good relationship in just the short time we had with each other.”
© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesIf the Bears do draft Sam Hecht, the first thing I will do is immediately call back to this post because I find it noteworthy that Offensive Line Coach Dan Roushar and Assistant Offensive Line Coach Kyle DeVan were the ones putting the center (and the rest of the linemen) through drills at the pro day event. I can’t imagine a better way to familiarize yourself with a prospect and see if he is a fit than by getting the first-hand experience of putting him through drills that you might have him working in at the next level.
THE BEARS GOT A GOOD LOOK AT CENTER PROSPECT SAM HECHT
Sam Hecht is one of many center prospects I imagine will be connected to the Bears between now and the 2026 NFL Draft. Hecht went from being a walk-on at Kansas State in 2021 to an all-conference performer as a senior in 2025. After getting invites to the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl, Hecht’s profile is getting more notoriety ahead of the draft. That the Bears had coaches on hand who put him through workouts seems like a good thing. At a minimum, I like that this team is doing its due diligence on a top prospect at a position of need.
2026 NFL Draft Prospect Watch: Kansas State C Sam Hecht
Even if the Bears draft Sam Hecht (or someone else) with the idea of plugging him into the lineup as a long-term center fit, Garrett Bradbury could still be a valuable piece of the puzzle. Bradbury’s presence could allow the Bears to do what the Patriots did by drafting a center prospect who would sit and learn from a veteran ahead of him on the depth chart. If that strategy is good enough for the defending AFC champs, then why wouldn’t it be good enough for the reigning NFC North champions?
MORE: Get to Know New Bears Center Garrett Bradbury
Don’t get it twisted. I’m familiar with Bradbury’s underwhelming grades from Pro Football Focus. And an eventual vocal push from the fanbase to start the rookie ASAP is unavoidable. However, I am allowing for the possibility of Bradbury taking his game to another level while playing between All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney and 2021 Pro Bowler Jonah Jackson at right guard. And if one season of Bradbury holding down the fort in the middle of Chicago’s offensive line allows this coaching staff to groom a rookie without throwing him into the fire from the get-go, then so be it.
For the entire conversation between Kay Adams and Kansas State center prospect Sam Hecht, you can watch the video below:
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