If their battles during Senior Bowl practicesare any indication, the interactions between NFL draft picks Lee Hunter and Sam Hecht should highlight the upcoming drill work during the ' rookie minicamp this week. Lining up for a one-on-one encounter last January, Hecht, a former Kansas State center, to deny Hunter, an ex-Texas Tech nose guard, from generating pre sure. Other offensive linemen in Mobile, Alabama, struggled to handle Hunter, who often . Some analysts started debating whether Hunter . Against Hecht, though, Hunter was relatively contained. Will that trend continue when the Panthers' rookies report to Bank of America Stadium's practice
Jordan Murray Jersey fields Friday for a three-day minicamp? C Sam Hecht vs. NG Lee Hunter could highlight Panthers rookie minicamp Hunter's Senior Bowl performance likely helped prompt Panthers general manager Dan Morgan to trade up in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft and select the 6-foot-3, 320-pounder with the No. 49 selection. Morgan envisions lining up the rookie run-stopper next to his , Derrick Brown, and Tershawn Wharton/Bobby Brown II in the 3-4 base defense. As he concluded his introductory teleconference call with members of the media on April 24, Hunter was asked about his attitude coming in as a first-year profe sional. "They came and got me," he said. "They showed love and interest. "I'm ready to run through a f------ brick wall for them." On Friday, one of those walls could be Hecht, a who some league insiders suggested could develop into one of the draft's shrewdest picks. Competing in 759 plays last season, Hecht allowed zero sacks and quarterback hits and did not have one penalty marked off against him. This week's NFL rookie minicamp officially kicks off the Panthers' offseason training activities, and the on-field battles between Hunter and Hecht could start a series of ongoing highlights.
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