Or are they? A versatile punter who can flip field position and force the opposition to account for him while nailing game-winning field goals with regularity is hard to find. San Diego State's Matt Araiza headlines a potentially historic 2022 NFL Draft class with at least three punters picked in our projections. One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State University's Matt Araiza. It's not clear why Araiza dropped all the way down to the sixth round, but there are plenty of theories. In this graphic, there appears to be nearly no association between where a player was selected and his average AV per season. Simply put, Araiza is the best punting prospect to enter the NFL Draft in quite some time. At Michigan, he excelled as partner in crime for Aidan Hutchinson, the projected first-overall pick in the upcoming draft. There have been multiple third-round selections, while FSU punter John Stark was a second-round choice in 1982. Stroud doesnt want to go to the Bears because Justin Fields, OPINION: Cocaine Bear is stupid, but in a really good way When the idea of, CONTENT 2018 2022 VENDETTA SPORTS MEDIA ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions, Why Mitchell Trubisky Is Destined To Fail In The NFL, Barstool Sports Employee Jordyn Woodruff Joins OnlyFans, Sean Allen Sucks At Fantasy Hockey: 2022 Edition, Predicting Four 2023 Middle Linebacker Free Agent Destinations, Von Miller Eyeing GM Career Post Retirement, C.J. Additionally, few of these punters have been widely recognized as the best at their position, even for one season. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. This season, Araiza has set r. Araiza has a cannon for a leg, shown with his 86-yard punt against San Jose State in October. Stout was one of the top punters in this year's class and it wasn't a total shocker to see him become the first punter taken. This is what enablers do.. When a guy leads college football in all major punting statistics including average yards, punt yards per game, punts inside the 20 yard line, and PATs made, he's going to draw NFL draft attention. Punting out of the end zone can be tough for some punters, as there isnt much margin for error if pressure gets into the backfield, and there is more of a condensed space to operation out of. The WCG crew ran through several free agency questions in this roundtable, and today we listed the one signing we expect Ryan Poles to make. Chase Daniel: Young's Height Is Non-Issue, Stroud: I Don't Want to Be Drafted By Bears, Smith-Njigba: Packers Looking at Receivers, Dave Wannstedt: Mike McCarthy's 'Run the Damn Ball' Comment Ill-Advised, Samari Rolle: Forbes Worthy of Comp to Me, Friday's DB Workout Displayed Clear No. Below are the top 10 highest-drafted punters in the history of the NFL draft: Of that group, Guy went onto become a Pro Football Hall of Famer; Stark was a first-team All Pro selection in 1983 and four-time Pro Bowler; Skladany was a 1981 Pro Bowler; Sauebrun was a four-time All-Pro selection, three-time Pro Bowler and two-time NFL punt yards leader; Tupa was a 1999 All-Pro selection; and Anger was a 2021 second-team All-Pro selection, as well as the 2013 NFL punting yards leader. This is the most yards per punt a player has ever averaged in a single NCAA season, illustrating his sheer dominance. He wound up at the same school as Odafe Oweh, a first-round pick for the Baltimore Ravens in last years draft. The big-footed San Diego native is considered one of the best prospects in his position over the years and many are eager to see . The victims lawyer, Dan Gilleon, said the Bills also ignored his warnings about Araiza in late July. Araiza served as SDSU's placekicker while he was in college, so he's never had to hold. This next punt traveled 88 yards through the air, landing from his own 12-yard line to the literal goal line. Araiza has a pure fourth-round grade on my board, and he is one point away in my grading scale from what would be considered the greatest punting prospect of all time. The Ray Guy Award bears his name. This begs the question: how well will Matt Araiza transition to the NFL? That says two things in particular: one, that I am a sad enough person to have scouted dozens of punters, and two, that Araiza is a special talent at his position. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. In his first season, Araiza handled kicking and kickoff duties, as his punting prowess remained hidden. Punter prospects in the NFL Draft are more commonplace than youd presume. This season Araiza hasnt had a single kick punt or field goal blocked. In the rare occurrence that one of his kicks is returned, Araiza can be found taking down the returner. Araiza joined the NFL in April as a sixth-round draft pick. A fifth-round selection for Araiza would not be particularly noteworthy in the history of punters taken in the NFL draft. He showcases very good touch and a repeatable delivery. On Aug. 25 shortly after the team awarded Araiza the starting punting job, he was accused of being part of a gang raping of a 17-year-old girl while he attended San Diego State, according to the Los Angeles Times. 1. According to Austin Gayle of Pro Football Focus, 63 percent of Araiza's punts were downed inside the 20; another 27 were downed inside the 10. Thanks for contacting us. We have an 86 yard punt EIGHTY SIX (CC @RKalland) pic.twitter.com/KIi5d3VTTO. The NFL Draft doesn't usually give us very many surprises when it comes to punting, but it came through with two big surprises on Saturday. Ill make a bold statement and say that, if the Bears trade down and acquire a pick in Round 4, I wouldnt be furious if they took Araiza with that selection. Punts in between the 30s (2021 only):Jordan Stout, Penn State (36 Punts)Inside 20 83%Inside 10 53%Touchback 6%Average Field Pos. Since 2000, just two draft classes (2017 and 2011) have not had a punter selected to the NFL. Before we produce the punting protagonists of this 2022 NFL Draft prediction, its worth discussing the place this class could hold in NFL history. The Punt God has a legitimate shot at being a day two selection. Manage Settings Kenny Pickett College Football Highlights 2021, Aaron Rodgers is Using Leverage to Help Davante Adams, DEBUT Tom Brady, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen! Meanwhile, Texas specialist Cameron Dicker has punting and kicking versatility. He was an unanimous All-American and the Ray Guy Award winner in 2021, making FBS history as the single-season leader with 51.19 yards . Matt Araiza is one of the only players in the 2022 NFL Draft who can make an immediate impact. For reference, the NFL single-season record for average punt is 51.4 yards. 1 pick, Richardson logs colossal measurements at combine, Commanders rip 'blatantly false' team sale report, Top QB in draft has one team he doesn't want to play for. You dont get the award that celebrates collegiate punting excellence without being exceptional. Of course, Davis didnt need to play third downs at Georgia because the damage was already done on the first two downs. In 35 games across three years at San Diego State, he punted 84 times for 4,293 yards a 51.1 yards-per-punt rate. But there can be no doubt that in a jumbled quarterback class, taking a punt on the best pure thrower would represent the best value play for quarterback-needy franchises. Although on-field punter drills werent televised, onlookers inside Lucas Oil Stadium reported that Araiza was impressive during those sessions at the NFL Combine. If you look at his numbers, it's pretty clear that Araiza has one of the strongest legs of any punting prospect in NFL history. 2022 NFL Draft Predictions: Matt Araiza leads class of at least three punters picked, The punter prospects projected to be drafted in this 2022 NFL Draft prediction, Ryan Stonehouse and Cameron Dicker round out punter predictions for the 2022 NFL Draft. The prolific punter also showcased his versatility as a powerful placekicker, hitting 77% of his 48 attempts with a career long of 53 yards. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. The 2022 NFL draft is a little over two weeks away. Matt Araiza had two punts of more than 80 yards last season, including an 86-yarder that was the longest punt in college football.He might be able to punt a football from San Diego to Buffalo. That said, it wouldnt be surprising at all if somebody took him as early as Round 3. From the aforementioned information, it appears that Araiza is an elite punting prospect. Win at all costs happens with every team. He also set school records in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles during his high school career. ), wins college football weekend, deserves the Heisman . Fewer punters have been more consistent than the Georgia prospect. Araiza stands at just over 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds. Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News, for example, projects Araiza to go 174th overall to the defending AFC champion Bengals. Araiza must ensure that his strides and ball striking remain consistent from kick to kick. Although it is important to recognize that some of these punters have not had as many seasons as others theyve competed against, some believe a player like Araiza should be one of the top NFL punters immediately upon entering the league. Login. Negatives: Takes a while to get the ball off his foot. (AV) of a punter per season who has been drafted in the last 15 seasons. I was 17 years old and I had no idea who Matt Araiza was," she said. With the 175th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the LA Rams select punter Matt Araiza out of San Diego State. Or so it seems. Although the 40-yard-dash may not be a direct indicator of a players game speed, the fact that Araiza ran a 4.68 is notable in its own right. The whole nfl knew. While Araiza had decent success in landing punts inside the 20 this season, he needs to demonstrate consistency in this regard. Meanwhile, he averaged 41.7 yards on 120 punts that tallied over 5,000 yards. For whatever reason, punters have been a popular position to pick in this year's draft. The first two punters went off the board in the fourth round with the Ravens selecting Jordan Stout and the Buccaneers taking Jake Camarda. Also, a higher average yards per punt does not always mean better sometimes you want to directionally punt, so this can be misleading. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Drawing attention across the media landscape driven by the king of punters himself, Pat McAfee Araiza has broken records with his ridiculously powerful left leg. Dicker The Kicker has a 46.3-yard career punting average and 75.9% career field-goal completion. The truth of the matter, however, is that Araiza is just the tip of the iceberg of a talented punting class. Daniel Faalele after Minnesotas win over Colorado in September. Since 2000, just two draft classes (2017 and 2011) have not had a punter selected to the NFL. Among the players expected to hear his name is punter Matt Araiza out of San Diego State. 201. While I ordinarily like to steer clear of pro comparisons, there are striking similarities between Stout and four-time first-team All-Pro punter Johnny Hekker. Field Pos. No other punter in history has more 50+ and 60+ yard punts in a single season. Troy . His ceiling could be much higher. Corey Bojorquez has also shown inconsistency. One of the most important punting stats is net punting average and Araiza finished the year at 44.3, which ranked sixth in the country. That hasn't happened for a punter since 2012, when Jacksonville selected Cal's . The number of seasons for each punter includes every season where at least half of a season was played. Brugler's take: The Ray Guy Award winner last season, Araiza has a booming leg and showed it off as a punter and kicker (field goals, extra points, kickoffs . School: San Diego State. That, combined with the more condensed splits in the NFL, makes a rugby-style delivery tough to impossible to pull off consistently. San Diego State P Matt Araiza. He believes it is worth taking chances on other positions earlier in the draft rather than a punter. August 26, 2022. In yesterdays game, Matt Araiza elevated his NCAA record with his 16th punt of 60+ yards this year. With Camarda now in Tampa, that likely spells the end of Bradley Pinion's three-year run with the team. Weve been studying the players for 11 months. Zac Al-Khateeb is a content producer for The Sporting News. Shakir, a fifth-round rookie in 2022, got off to a slow start in his career. He created a draft buzz. Safely draftable and carrying middle-round grades in the league.. Get the latest on Buffalo Bills P Matt Araiza including news, stats, videos, and more on CBSSports.com . With his cannon for a leg, positional versatility, and publicity few punters have ever attracted, Araiza has the potential to be selected significantly higher than most punters have in recent NFL Draft classes. In fact, there hasnt been an NFL starter in the 21st century built as big as the Aussie. The Buffalo Bills are going to have a tough decision to make. No punter has been selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft since 1995. While a running start can provide for more power, power is far from an issue with Araiza. Above is a plot of the average Approximate Value (AV) of a punter per season who has been drafted in the last 15 seasons. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. This power was proved in the 2021 season, as he had 18 punts of 60+ yards and two of 80+ yards. Although he was the top punting prospect in the draft, Araiza ended up being the third punter selected. Although drafting a punter often indicates this player will be the unquestioned starter, the position simply is not at a premium where the best at the position and an average player are not too far apart from one another. He maintained composure in a penetrated backfield, and he was able to send the ball 65 yards through the air with ease. However, that doesnt mean that his scouting report doesnt reveal some areas for improvement. But there are questions about Davis viability at the NFL level. He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. An achilles injury at Michigans pro day has seen his stock take a hit and served as an example of the dark side of the draft process. Look how Hawaii prepped for Matt Araiza. Continue with Recommended Cookies, (Derrick Tuskan/San Diego State Athletics). For context, two Pro Bowl punters are named each year, leaving about an 20% clip of the Pro Bowl punters in the last 15 seasons being players who were drafted. Its time to look at five of the upcoming classs most intriguing (rather than the best) prospects. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. Araiza has a cannon for a leg, shown with his. Past. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nfl | pageType: stories | But I know there are other players in the league who are told to just bang the ball as far as they can down the field, and the team is going to cover. The likes of Mitch Wishnowsky and Max Duffy from recent draft classes utilized this style of punting before entering the NFL. Of course he was. Matt Araiza had two punts of more than 80 yards last season, including an 86-yarder that was the longest punt in college football. holy crap.you know what I just realized? He kicks returners back a considerable amount that the potential for big returns is still limited. Despite his relatively low recruiting profile, there was a level of expectation around the program when the versatile kicking weapon was finally handed the opportunity to play for the Aztecs in 2019. The biggest thing to note from the preseason is Epenesa. Use our promo code VENDETTA or use the link below to get a 100% instant matchon any deposit. The biggest surprise is that college football's top punter, Matt Araiza, wasn't the first punter off the board this year. Not too shabby. Do It All. During a college career that started at Virginia Tech before his transfer to the Nittany Lions, Stout has been a kickoff specialist, punter, field-goal and extra-point kicker, and even turned his hand to playing quarterback on a fake punt against Michigan in his final season. @matt_araiza. With his all-around contributions, Stout truly puts the special in special teams. John Harbaugh is a former special teams coach and he has a better eye for punters and kickers than any other head coach in the NFL, so if he wanted Stout, you can bet he liked his punting style more than he liked Araiza's booming style. All the more impressive, the 2021 season was Araiza's first taking on full-time punting duties for the Aztecs. Together, they were unblockable. The Aztec junior is an offensive weapon that frequently puts his defense in favorable spots. and that Bill Belichick is already salivating over using a second-round pick on him in the 2022 NFL Draft. That might scare some people given the hype and eventual failures of Roberto Aguayo, but some team will still take a shot on him earlier than the average punter. section: | slug: 2022-nfl-draft-shocker-bills-land-punt-god-matt-araiza-who-surprisingly-gets-taken-behind-two-other-punters | sport: football | route: article_single.us | Before we get into the sexier traits of punter scouting if such a thing exists I want to get into San Diego States punt formation being a benefit for Araiza. Of the 27 punters drafted in the past 15 seasons, just six of these players have made a Pro Bowl these six punters only made one Pro Bowl each. Araiza can be quite a weapon for NFL teams adding a punter in the 2022 draft. Even these statistical accomplishments usually wouldnt attract the adoration that Araiza has received in this NFL Draft process. Stop by our 2nd City Gridiron YouTube channel for Bear Bones LIVE at FIVE as we get in on some mock draft fun! . Harbaugh seems to prefer a finesse punter, which is what he's had over the years with Sam Koch, who's been Baltimore's punter since 2006. He also set the FBS mark for 50-yard punts with his 33rd of the season. DBs and Specialists. But I can tell you, we just tried to do what was right, Beane said. With his record-breaking antics and social media ascension to Punt God, San Diego State punter Matt Araiza is making special teams sexy again. The reigning Ray Guy Award winner as the nation's top punter, Araiza set an FBS record with a 51.19-yard . Eric D. Williams goes to practice with Matt Araiza, who could be the first punter selected on Day 2 of a draft since 2012. . Draft Order & Rookie Pools; . Pro Football Network, LLC. The LA Chargers could consider drafting Matt Araiza in the 2022 NFL Draft. Given the recent trends of where punters have been drafted, it would make sense for Araiza to be selected on Day 3 since only Bryan Anger has been taken before then in the past 15 years. Jimmypinthe416 says: August 28, 2022 at 11:39 am Was belichik lying when he drafted Hernandez. The WCG crew ran through several free agency questions in this roundtable, and today we gave our pick for the signings we want the Bears to avoid. Former Eagles President and Browns CEO Joe Banner gave his take on how he would approach this unique prospect. Not only did he lead the nation in punting average with an FBS-record 51.4 yards per punt, but he also had six punts of at least 70 yards in 2021, which was the most in the country. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. The list of accomplishments is unreal. Following a flourish of free agency action, theres a clearer picture of NFL team needs. Araiza knocked it out of the park, posting numbers comparable to some highly ranked prospects. 1 CB, Paul Burmeister: Why Derek Carr Might Not Be QB to Win You a Championship, Tracker: Patriots Release QB Hoyer. As a result, theres an ever-growing feeling that his floor in the 2022 NFL Draft will be the fifth round. 5th Year Option Projections; Free Agency. His footprints adorn the record books at the position. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. He has the power to flip the field with one kick. Gambling problem?