One of the biggest question marks in Cleveland going forward will be at the center position because Ethan Pocic is set to become a free agent when the new league year begins, and there’s a 0% chance that they bring him back.
Luke Wypler has performed well enough to be a contender for the starting job this summer, but the team likely wants to bring in someone else to push him. On that note, Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum has been a hot topic of discussion lately when it comes to a possible target for Cleveland
in free agency. The obvious familiarity with Todd Monken’s offense is a huge point of emphasis, but I don’t think it’s a secret that the Browns would have to shell out a good chunk of change to land him.
If they choose the NFL Draft route instead, there are a couple of great options for the team to consider. One of them is Kansas State C Sam Hecht, who’s been impressing teams with his technical and movement skills.
One of his biggest draws has been his overall mobility and technical prowess at the point of attack. Very few centers in this class are as athletic as Hecht, and it’ll be interesting to see how well he performs at the NFL Combine later this month.
As a zone blocker, he’s able to reach playside 2/3-techniques from time to time, which is undoubtedly one of the hardest blocks to make for a center due to how far away they are from each other at the snap. This is a testament to a center’s movement skills because it requires them to turn and run rather than shuffle laterally to the player.
Hecht isn’t the strongest guy in the world, but he makes up for it with top-notch grip strength and effort. He usually won’t be able to get vertical displacement on defenders, but he’s able to consistently plant and wall to keep bigger down-linemen out of the play in the power game.
As mentioned earlier, his ability to run off the ball and reach defenders in the zone game is his specialty. This would make him an ideal candidate for Cleveland, as Todd Monken’s offense requires a smart, athletic player at center in his run-heavy offense.
Hecht’s pass protection is completely up to par as well, so no issues there. If he’s available in the late 3rd/early 4th, don’t be shocked if he’s the pick for Andrew Berry and Co.
Current NFL Draft projection: Rounds 3-4
