MANHATTAN — Kansas State center Sam Hecht is expected to become the latest former walk-on to play for the Wildcats and go on to play in the NFL. He is expected to join that group when he's picked in the NFL Draft on April 24 or 25 in Rounds 3-7.
Hecht, a former preferred walk-on out of Mill Valley (Shawnee), passed on other FBS offers to play for the Wildcats. Previously an undersized tackle, Hecht worked toward being K-State's starting center over the last two seasons.
As a starting center, Hecht never allowed a sack. Now, he's considered one of the top center prospects in this year's NFL Draft.
Once drafted, Hecht will join an impressive group of former K-State walk-ons who went on to get selected. Here they are:
Cartwright played fullback at Kansas State after transferring from Trinity Valley Community College. He rushed for 570 yards and seven touchdowns in his two seasons with the Wildcats. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Washington football franchise with the 257th overall pick. He played for Washington from 2002-09 before spending two seasons with the Raiders.
Evans played defensive back for four years for the Wildcats, making 157 total tackles and seven interceptions. He was a First Team All-Big 12 selection in 2014 and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 2015 draft with the 196th overall pick. He played in the NFL for three seasons.
A Manhattan native, McGraw developed into an All-Big 12 selection by the end of his K-State career. The safety was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2002 draft with the 57th overall pick.
Nelson is the most notable of the K-State walk-ons, considering his success with the Wildcats and in the NFL. He developed into one of the program's all-time greats, going from a walk-on safety to becoming a record-breaking receiver and a consensus first-team All-American. He was a second-round pick in 2008 by the Green Bay Packers, with whom he won a Super Bowl, became a Pro Bowler and had over 8,500 receiving yards over an NFL career that lasted a decade.
Sinnott went from a walk-on to becoming Pardon My Take's fullback of the year and being an All-Big 12 tight end by the end of his college career. He was drafted in the second round by the Washington Commanders in the 2024 draft with the 53rd pick. He's caught two touchdowns in two years.
Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Sam Hecht joining former Kansas State walk-ons in NFL Draft