The walk-on-to-all-conference trajectory tells you everything about what Hecht brings to an NFL locker room: he's smarter than the guy across from him, he's more disciplined, and he's going to be in the right spot every single snap. His technique is genuinely elite for a center prospect — inside hands, tight elbows, outstanding leverage — and he allowed zero sacks across 25 college starts because he never puts himself in a losing position. The problem is when someone puts *him* in one: his 13th-percentile arms and undersized frame mean NFL nose tackles with length and power will occasionally walk him backward, and his below-average explosive power limits his ability to generate movement at the point of attack in gap schemes. In a zone-oriented system that values processing speed and lateral mobility at the pivot, Hecht has a clear path to being a 10-year starter. In a downhill power scheme, his margin for error shrinks considerably.
- Elite hand placement and technique — keeps elbows tucked with inside hands that maximize leverage despite short arms
- Outstanding mental processing: diagnoses stunts and pressures pre-snap, communicates protection calls at a near-NFL level already
- Excellent short-area quickness (84th percentile 10-yard split) that translates to mirroring interior rushers and reaching the second level
- Unmatched consistency and discipline — zero sacks allowed in 25 starts, zero penalties in 2025, only two in his final two seasons combined
- Strong Senior Bowl performance validated tape against high-level competition, winning in 1-on-1s and team periods
- Below-average arm length (31.75 inches, 13th percentile) limits his ability to control longer interior defenders and creates vulnerability in hand battles
- Lacks the explosive lower-body power to consistently displace defenders at the second level or finish run blocks with authority in gap schemes
- Only a two-year starter — relative inexperience compared to other Day 2 IOL prospects who have 30-40+ starts
- Below-average fluidity and redirect skills create soft edges late in the rep and against counter moves in pass protection
Both are high-IQ, technically refined centers with undersized frames and below-average length who won starting jobs through discipline and processing rather than physical dominance. Fortner went in the 3rd round (2022) to Jacksonville, started immediately, and has been a solid but unspectacular starter — the most likely outcome for Hecht. Brandon Thorn's own comparable grades were Fortner (7.2, 2022) and Joe Tippmann (7.4, 2023).