These traits make for an incredibly impressive athlete, but how would he test at the NFL Combine? Punter prospects in the NFL Draft are more commonplace than youd presume. and that Bill Belichick is already salivating over using a second-round pick on him in the 2022 NFL Draft. And no, thats not the type of gimmicky love youll see bestowed on some other athletes in minor roles. Four punters were chosen in the 2016 NFL Draft. Being a left-footed punter, teams will have to adjust their formations to help fit his needs. Some collegiate punters especially Australian punters with Aussie rule backgrounds work out of a rugby-style delivery, which includes wider splits between blockers and a running approach from the punter before kicking it low with the intention of having it bounce and be difficult for returners to field. There have been multiple third-round selections, while FSU punter John Stark was a second-round choice in 1982. The Aztec junior is an offensive weapon that frequently puts his defense in favorable spots. 2022 NFL Draft Team Mock Drafts. Draft Order & Rookie Pools; . Above is a plot of the average Approximate Value (AV) of a punter per season who has been drafted in the last 15 seasons. 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. Tracker; Grades; Spending; Tenders; Draft. That hasn't happened for a punter since 2012, when Jacksonville selected Cal's . 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. Eric D. Williams goes to practice with Matt Araiza, who could be the first punter selected on Day 2 of a draft since 2012. . The rest of the league has moved to embrace the off-script creators, players who can go and get a bucket all by themselves with their arms or legs when the offensive structure breaks down. As soon as the ball left Matt Araiza's foot, the competition between the rookie and Matt Haack was over. Both are a long shot to be drafted at the end of the month. Matt Araiza 2022 NFL Draft Profile. Achieving a historic 12-win season and earning a spot in the final College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings brought many advantages for the San Diego State Aztecs. Manage Settings The Buffalo Bills have claimed they did not know about allegations recently made in a lawsuit against former punter Matt Araiza prior to the 2022 NFL draft. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Incredible run. Obviously, the ability to pin your opponent deep in their own territory represents a significant advantage. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Punter Bryan Anger famously went five picks before Russell Wilson in 2012 with the 70th overall pick. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. After the horrendous playoff performance, the Packers . Even then, the potential power lingering in his left leg remained lowkey. Or so it seems. Reportedly other teams did. At least three punters will be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft that is the prediction. All the more impressive, the 2021 season was Araiza's first taking on full-time punting duties for the Aztecs. 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. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, at Former Saints punter Thomas Morstead recently explained to the Athletic why that's a concern. Colorado States Ryan Stonehouse featured just behind Araiza this year, with an average of 50.9 yards per punt. Kiper's updated Big Board for the 2022 NFL draft: Ranking the best prospects at every position 1y Mel Kiper Jr. Araiza, who had one year left of eligibility, set the record for punting average in . Redshirting his 2018 season, Araiza learned under San Diego State kicker John Barron II. Before you scoff at this notion and dismiss it based on the allegation that Reeder is a "terrible" NFL player who wasn't even drafted, let's look at how the 2 players measure up. Araiza can be quite a weapon for NFL teams adding a punter in the 2022 draft. 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. One theory on why he fell is because he's never held for extra point or field goals. 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. When it comes to punters, the bigger surprise is that the Buccaneers took Camarda over Araiza. Punts in between the 30s (2021 only):Jordan Stout, Penn State (36 Punts)Inside 20 83%Inside 10 53%Touchback 6%Average Field Pos. Faalele looks more like a long-lost third Clegane brother than a starting NFL tackle. Through the first 180 picks, there were more punters selected (3) than were taken in the entire 2021 draft combined (The Steelers selection of Pressley Harvin was the only punter pick last year). 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 Buffalo Bills had no choice but to cut their youngpunter after so badly botching their response to our claim, Gilleon said in a statement, per the AP. Round 5 - Philadelphia Eagles (No. Araizas leg power is also demonstrated as a field goal and kickoff specialist. Personally, I would not draft a punter, regardless of how good he is, until the 7th-round the 6th-round at the earliest. Showcasing an exceptionally powerful leg, he holds the Penn State field-goal record with a 57-yard strike against Pitt in 2019. From there, lift off. Although Araiza saw plenty of action at San Diego State, he might not see the field much in Buffalo. While college kickers take their share of criticism, the level of scrutiny and the ability to quickly lose your job in the NFL requires an exceptional level of equilibrium. Araiza seems like he's going to be a good fit in Buffalo. Does a terrific job selling fake punts. Punters are NFL Draft prospects, too always have been, always will be. We explored a massive trade-down scenario in a recent seven-round mock draft. The previous year, he punted five times for 249 yards, averaging 49.8 yards per punt. An all-around special teams contributor, the 2021 unanimous All-American had kickoff duties for San Diego State. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. The likes of Mitch Wishnowsky and Max Duffy from recent draft classes utilized this style of punting before entering the NFL. Dicker The Kicker has a 46.3-yard career punting average and 75.9% career field-goal completion. 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. Positives: Strong-legged punter whos also an exceptional directional kicker. You cant even tell that traveling more than 60 yards through the air is a difficult task for a punter by how easy Araiza makes it look. The San Diego State punter was better than Camarda in almost every metric last season. (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images) That is an incredibly high projection for a special teams player, as punters and kicker often . Punters can be prolific athletes, too! The redshirt freshman hit 85% of his field goals, nailed every extra point attempt, and smashed 78% of his kickoffs through the back of the end zone. The number of seasons for each punter includes every season where at least half of a season was played. 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. On his list of the top 150 prospects on NFL.com, Daniel Jeremiah listed Araiza at No. Araiza, one of the Buffalo Bills' sixth round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, boomed a . Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. 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 is putting punters on the map, and his scouting report reveals why he's a highly rated 2022 NFL Draft prospect. Even then, the potential power lingering in his left leg remained lowkey. For more 2022 NFL Draft coverage and player profiles, check out our NFL Draft page. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. 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. But, thats not all Araiza can do. No punter has been selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft since 1995. 201. The Buffalo Bills are going to have a tough decision to make. In 2021, the Bills only punted a total of 52 times, which was tied for the fifth-lowest total in the NFL. Kicking It With Matt Araiza: Former SDSU Kicker On His Punting Past, Present and NFL Future After declaring for the NFL Draft, former San Diego State kicker and Rancho Bernardo High School alum . 147, a high fifth-round pick. According to the Associated Press, executives from two different NFL teams became aware that Araiza had been involved in an incident in the lead-up to the draft, though they didnt know the extent of the allegations. NFL draft projection. In 2019, he hit 84.6% of his kicks. Araiza can take up one spot on a roster, rather than a team having to carry a player at both punter and placekicker. With the 175th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the LA Rams select punter Matt Araiza out of San Diego State. Like clockwork. Hang time and accuracy are just as important in the NFL. With Araiza now in Buffalo, that puts veteran punter Matt Haack on the hot seat. Inconsistent accuracy on his field goals. He isnt a novelty: hes an assured pass protector who has the huge frame that could make him special. Araiza must ensure that his strides and ball striking remain consistent from kick to kick. And yet, the prediction of a multiple-punter class in the 2022 NFL Draft might surprise a few people. 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. Matt Araiza. As the 2022 NFL Draft nears, it's time to put our money where our mouth is and start making some predictions about the class. The draft is sharpening into focus. As a junior, Araiza would be eligible for the NFL Draft in both 2022 and 2023. All Rights Reserved. In addition to his prowess as a punter, Araiza has a 73.5% success rate as a field-goal kicker. It's probable that he would have hit a fourth for 55 yards . A team will take the bet that Faalele can, probably in the first round. 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. All this high school success mattered very little when it came to the recruiting process. Based on net punting averages, you can usually find UDFAs who will rank above average at the position in directional punting and hang time.. Copyright 2019-2023. Using AV from Pro-Football-Reference, this somewhat normalizes the impact of a punter on his team. Born in Nigeria, Ojabo moved to Scotland in 2007 before heading to the US to attend high school. 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 left-footer with the big leg has been widely projected by draft analysts as the top . I am sure he is very upset and disappointed that his career with the Bills ended not because he played poorly but because of false allegations leveled against him by a young lady and her attorney, Araizas lawyer, Kerry Armstrong, told the AP. That said, Matt Araiza is a generational talent at punter. The Punt God has a legitimate shot at being a day two selection. The NFL Draft doesn't usually surprise us much when it comes to punting, but on Saturday it came with two big surprises. General manager Tom Telesco spoke to the media on Thursday and was asked about Araiza in the draft. Additionally, few of these punters have been widely recognized as the best at their position, even for one season. Araiza joined the NFL in April as a sixth-round draft pick. The big-legged San Diego native is considered one of the best prospects at his position in years and many are eager to see where he lands. If this was 2005, Strong would be in play to be the first name called.