Gavin’s NFL Draft gem and germ of the week

Gem: Sam Hecht, IOL – Kansas State (Redshirt Senior)

One of the deepest positional groups in the 2026 NFL Draft may be the interior linemen, more specifically the centers. With five to six names I could see being called in the top 100, Hecht stood out to me as an NFL-ready prospect.

Most sources project Hecht going as high as the middle of the second round and as late as the early fourth, but I have Hecht graded as a late first round pick.

In his collegiate career for Kansas State, Hecht has never allowed a sack and has only let up 18 pressures in the past two seasons. Additionally in 2025, Hecht didn’t allow a singular QB hit, keeping a clean pocket. The Wildcat standout earned an 80.3 aggregate grade in 2025 from Pro Football Focus, being ranked 4th among over 300 qualified centers in college football. 

Hecht is an incredibly disciplined player as well, having a clean sheet in terms of penalties in 2025. 

Hecht’s best performances are credited for his pass blocking, keeping a strong anchor without a need for any jump-sets to settle in. His intelligence is a huge part of his game, being a vocal leader both in and out of the huddle. He does everything required of him as a center and more, taking charge and identifying twists and blitzes at the line far before the ball is snapped.

The biggest drawbacks for Hecht’s game are questions around his consistency as a run blocker. He’s a little undersized, which is odd to say considering he’s well over 300 pounds, but he struggles to translate his size into power when finishing blocks. As a pass blocker, Hecht has also drawn criticism for his lateral agility late in games. 

I really like the idea of Hecht being a starting center in the NFL. He has all of the physical tools and an abundance of knowledge of the game. As a player, he’s always been the kind of guy who elevates the play of the linemen around him, and I  With a few more pounds of functional weight and the right conditioning coaches, Hecht could develop into a top center in the NFL within the next five years.

Germ: Garrett Nussmeier, QB – Louisiana State (Redshirt Senior)

Many had Garrett Nussmeier as their pick for the consensus number one overall quarterback in this draft class. Coming off of a monster 2024 campaign with a high-flying offense, expectations were that Nussmeier would either enter the Draft or take a huge step forward as a Tiger in 2025. Unfortunately, neither of those would turn out to be true as Nussmeier stayed at Louisiana State and regressed behind a much worse offensive line. 

In a world where the mobile quarterback has taken over, Nussmeier is far behind the curve in terms of physical prowess. He’s not totally stagnant, running a 4.82 second 40-yard dash at Louisiana State’s Pro Day, but that’s also not anywhere near close enough to be labeled a dual-threat quarterback.. He’s also undersized for a typical pocket quarterback, being just over 6’2” and weighing only 202 pounds. 

He does show flashes of a potential NFL starting quarterback, throwing a good spiral and having very mature timing. My biggest concern is his pocket presence. Behind Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr., Nussmeier looked incredible, threading through gaps to extend plays. However, without these two in 2025, Nussmeier looked visibly less confident in his offensive line, having to keep his head on a swivel to watch pressure from his blind side. Because of this, Nussmeier got banged up, taking just as many sacks as he did in 2025 in 4 less games, sustaining a nagging abdominal injury.

While Nussmeier has since rehabbed his recent injury, he missed a good chunk of preseason action. In the events he did participate in, he did show out, winning the 2026 Senior Bowl MVP.

To succeed in the NFL, Nussmeier needs to develop, sitting behind a veteran to hone his skills before he gets real starting action. He doesn’t have the physical tools or technical proficiency to take over on day one, and I can see him struggling if forced to do so. At best, Nussmeier has proven himself to be a system quarterback, requiring a reinforced supporting cast to yield success. His natural leadership and ball skills make him a high floor, developmental pick, but his lack of mobility and pocket presence will cause his ceiling as a professional quarterback to take a major hit.