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PFF sees 'realistic path' for Panthers rookie to start in 2026
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- PFF sees 'realistic path' for Panthers rookie to start in 2026
The start of the regular season is still five weeks away, but we have a pretty good idea of who's going to be starting for the Carolina Panthers come Week 1.
Offensively, the Panthers will field mostly the same lineup at the skill positions. However, their trench has undergone some big changes—with free-agent addition Rasheed Walker and 2026 first-round pick Monroe Freeling taking over at the tackle spots for the injured Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton.
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And the line, at least according to one analyst, may see a third change.
While previewing Carolina for the upcoming campaign, Pro Football Focus' Gordon McGuinness writes why we may see rookie Sam Hecht eventually starting at center over veteran Luke Fortner:
Center Sam Hecht falling to the fifth round was a surprise given his reliability in college. He allowed just seven pressures on 392 pass-blocking snaps last season and did not surrender a sack across 850 pass-blocking snaps in his college career. He also earned a career-high 78.3 PFF run-blocking grade in 2025. While Luke Fortner enters the season as the likely starter, Hecht has a realistic path to becoming Carolina's starting center in the near future.
PFF graded Fortner out at 18th overall among qualifying centers in 2025. So if he can continue playing at about an average level, he should be fine.
Fortner also has 68 games of experience at this level over Hecht—and that, based off the deployments this summer, matters quite a bit to the Panthers coaching staff.
But as McGuinness notes, Hecht is no slouch. And with Fortner on a low-risk one-year deal, Carolina could—if needed—pivot to Hecht to kickstart the future.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: PFF sees 'realistic path' for Panthers rookie to start in 2026
