Ray Guy is the only punter to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. With Araiza now in Buffalo, that puts veteran punter Matt Haack on the hot seat. In his Mock Draft 1.0 released on November 30, 2021, Brugler slotted Thomas to the Dallas Cowboys with the 25th pick of the first round, adding, Thomas has been nearly unblockable this season for the Aztecs, currently leading college football with 72 pressures.. Logically, the first media question to. Only two punters have been drafted in the second round: Todd Sauerbrun (Chicago, 1995) and Rohn Stark (Baltimore, 1982). If Im punting five to seven times per game and the disparity in average yards is just a few, this doesnt translate to that significant of a difference overall. Bills get the Punt God in the SIXTH ROUND. Araiza seems like he's going to be a good fit in Buffalo. Anger is the only punter chosen earlier than the fourth round since 2005. I dont think Ive ever seen a ball travel like that before.. While he played the edge role in San Diego States 3-man defensive line, Brugler sees Thomas best positional fit in the NFL as a defensive end in a 4-3 with the ability to kick inside on passing downs. Foot meets ball; fireworks ensue. No wonder the "punt god" is generating NFL draft buzz. The current Ray Guy Award winner is no stranger to accolades. I loved European football, soccer. #Bills #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/EA1iEWkdyA. Dunkle also earned First Team All-American by Pro Football Network and Second Team All-American by the Associated Press. He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. At the time, a young Araiza couldnt have imagined becoming a national punting icon. You can go as far as your work ethic can take you. So, I think that was probably when I knew I had a shot.. Pro Football Network strives to passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and exceptional football content. The first two punters went off the board in the fourth round with the Ravens selecting Jordan Stout and the Buccaneers taking Jake Camarda. All You Touch and All You See: Dark Side of the Moon at 50. Ray Guy, for whom a college football award is named, was a first-round pick in 1973. San Diego States Matt Araiza is the third punter in school history selected in the NFL Draft. That motor really helps him frequently make tackles away from the line of scrimmage that a lot of defensive ends just dont make. I thought I was going to play soccer overseas in Europe, he says, so that was the goal for a while., Most kickers and punters specialize in their chosen paths from an early age. When we spoke on Tuesday night, Araiza called kicking a football really hard the greatest feeling. In addition to punting, he handles placekicking and kickoff duties for San Diego State. He has 28 punts of 50-plus yards; the NCAA record is 32, set in 1994. In fact, the San Diego State punter and placekicker had his eye on playing in his school's brand-new stadium next season while going for a master's degree. Is Araiza the Punter That Was Promised? When youre playing a field position battle, this guy will just flip the field and put the ball inside the other 20 with just one swing of his leg. 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. 5 or 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which could be the difference between facing a mid-major or power conference opponent, What exactly the Aztecs drew up for Lamont Butler, what got Darrion Trammell going, and keeping an eye on whether Brian Dutchers alma mater needs a new coach, Lamont Butlers 3-pointer at the buzzer beats New Mexico and means the Aztecs can win the Mountain West title outright with one win in their final two games, Everything you need to know about Saturday nights showdown between the Aztecs and Lobos at the Pit in Albuquerque, Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our NewslettersSite Map, Copyright 2023, The San Diego Union-Tribune |. The question mark on him will be whether he has the athleticism and the speed to hold up against quick, interior rushers in the NFL, said Brugler. Matt Araiza is one of the more fascinating prospects of the 2022 NFL Draft which is saying something, considering he's a punter. 18 San Diego State at Boise State, Aztecs have plenty to play for at Boise State, even after clinching Mountain West title, 3 thoughts: No. And, thats kind of where the ability with my feet come from.. He. Are the Bears failing Justin Fields? His big brother saw it on a random field in San Diego, and he set records as soon as he started to kick in high school and college. Whats legacy, anyway? I know my personal traits as an athlete, as a football player, as the leading tackler of a top 25 special teams unit. But thats only half-true: Araiza is also statistically the most talented punter prospect of all time. several third-round selections at punter. Although there's some concern that Araiza's booming punts could lead to him outkicking his coverage, San Diego State seemed to do just fine covering his punts. Araiza is the closest thing in football history to a must-watch punter. The former MVP has adapted and evolved to become an excellent conductor of Phillys offense. San Diego State punter Matt Araiza speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Additionally, few of these punters have been widely recognized as the best at their position, even for one season. 21, 54 and 85. No other punter. Furthermore, it wasnt even a thought. That was definitely my first love. Nora and Steven break down the most intriguing, silly, and enlightening comments coming out of Indianapolis, Plus, theres talk of the rise of Greef Karga, along with what could become of Bo-Katan and the Mandalorian people, The guys close the show with highlights from NXT and a preview of tonights AEW go-home Dynamite, "The Apostate" is designed to reorient the audience after a lengthy layoff, but the familiar formula ensures we want to keep taking the trip, Meg and Spanners also discuss Aston Martins positive press focusing on Fernando Alonso and touch on Ferraris consistent performance. Well, that was just a way onto the football roster. The one thing I dont think I ever realized was the level of popularity. On Wednesday, Georgia police announced a warrant for Carter's arrest on suspicion of reckless driving and racing. Should he be the Mountain West Player of the Year? Yes, he was already on pace to set the all-time yards-per-punt record, and yes, Araiza had hit an 86-yard punt the week before. It's not clear why Araiza dropped all the way down to the sixth round, but there are plenty of theories. Im watching for different reasons than San Diego State fans. 10-yard split time 1.61 seconds In the NFL, only two players can release, so additional time to get downfield is significant. Copyright 2019-2023. Arm length 30 1/2 Bellinger began training with Jeremy Holt, Owner of AthELITE Performance, yesterday in Music City, USA, along with tight ends Chase Allen (Iowa State) and Jake Ferguson (Wisconsin) in preparation for the NFL Draft. I know what I bring to the NFL. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Would love your thoughts, please comment. With the new changes to the touchback rules, pretty much every kickoff is a touchback. 1, Ohio State linebacker Tom Cousineau, refused to sign with the Bills and instead inked a lucrative deal with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. Im excited to go to a winning team, Super Bowl favorites, that will be awesome, Ariaza said by phone after the draft. Thomas, a redshirt junior who earned his degree this December, accepted an invite to play in the Senior Bowl and will look to showcase his top-tier talent to NFL teams. Its been huge to have that impact on my home town as well. Maybe hell hit one 90 yards this week! Neutral Media. Though the Buffalo Bills got the third punter of the 2022 NFL Draft's final day, they certainly got the one with the most fanfare. They'll give up some big returns, but they'll also have some giant flips of field position.". You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! He has incredible poise and does not lose his cool and, for much of the 2021 season, led special teams in tackles. 40-yard time 4.68 seconds Before that, the last one came in 2013. 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. When it comes to punters, the bigger surprise is that the Buccaneers took Camarda over Araiza. 16.0. Ill kind of get to squash that whole warm-weather kicker thing.. He was named to several First and Second All-American Teams by various national media outlets. Those two picks were also somewhat surprising, if only because you almost never see two punters get taken that early With Stout going at 130th overall and Camarda going three picks later, this year marked just the third time since 1993 that two punters were taken before the end of the fourth round. And remember, the Big Punt wasnt even Araizas longest punt of the year. We were all kind of surprised. To demonstrate the rarified air that the San Diego State punter is kicking in, fellow NFL Draft prospect Jake Camarda has a career-long of 68 yards. Check if your spelling is correct, or try removing filters. The Jets and Giants put on quite a show, while a couple of marquee teams raised eyebrows. To put that in perspective, there were only six punts of 70 or more yards by every NFL punter combined last season. Its a loaded defensive end class, Brugler said. "The coach I had for my first eight years in New Orleans, if I hit a punt over 55 yards, he was mad," Morstead said. In the past 22 years, there have been several third-round selections at punter. 130) and Georgia's Jake Camarda to the Buccaneers (fourth round, No. However, his pass-blocking steadily improved throughout the final ten games of the season, and he finished with a. Leodalis De Vries, the next international star for Padres? County of San Diego; State of California; Federal . This season, hes put it to devastating use week in and week out. As for Araiza, the Bills could potentially be getting a steal with their selection of the player known as "Punt God.". The first specialist chosen was LSU kicker Cade York, who went to Cleveland in the fourth round, six picks before Stout was taken. Behind guard Max Rices 12 straight points at the end, host Broncos score the games final 14 in the final five minutes to stun Aztecs, Stats and storylines to watch on Tuesday night, when San Diego State takes on Boise State at ExtraMile Arena, San Diego State sits on the cusp of a No. According to the NFL Mock Draft Database, the highest he is projected to go is in the fifth round picks 144 through 179. This is the most yards per punt a player has ever averaged in a single NCAA season, illustrating his sheer dominance. Now time for my prediction: I believe Matt Araiza will be selected in the later portion of Round 4, or in Round 5 of the 2022 NFL Draft. Araiza has a cannon for a leg, shown with his. After Stouts selection was announced, an ESPN broadcaster said: Not many things surprise me in the draft because you expect unpredictable things. 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