Check the flywheel is secure on the crankshaft and the key is intact. Turn the flywheel and check that the drive end also turns. If it does, and no compression can be felt, I would suspect a broken conrod. If both ends of the crankshaft don't turn solidly together,a broken crankshaft is a certainty.
If it is a vertical crank mower, hitting something solid can break either, but I think a seized piston is more likely to break a conrod if sudden seizure happens. If the engine is an ohv. model, you could possibly have a dropped valve, but its not likely that the engine could then be re-started.
Mr. Toad
August 2008