Field Pos. Chad Reuter ranks his favorite picks in each round. Will the Cowboys' big gamble pay off? But, thats not all Araiza can do. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. published this week, Ryan Wilson has the Chargers drafting Thomas with the 20th pick in the first round. John Stark from Florida State made it into the second round, way back in 1982. He doesnt overwhelm his opponent [as a blocker], but more often than not, he gets the job done.. Obviously, one of the benefits in my decision to pick San Diego State was being close to home. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the 2021 Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football. All Rights Reserved. Big, big leg. And, thats kind of where the ability with my feet come from.. Araiza set a school record for made field goals in a season and ranked sixth in the nation in touchback percentage in 2019. With Araiza now in Buffalo, that puts veteran punter Matt Haack on the hot seat. Did anyone nail their first three picks more than the Eagles? We have a ton of connections and basically a ton of people rooting for me on Saturdays which was really fun.. Thomas will have a chance to separate himself from other edge rushers in his tier as the draft process unfolds with the combine and private team workouts to prove he belongs in one of the top 32 spots., A redshirt junior entering this season, Thomas quickly showed scouts he is a pro prospect with his play to start the season. [1][2] The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season. So, what's next for this group -- in 2022 and beyond? Cameron Thomas, Matt Araiza, and William Dunkle decided to forego their senior seasons on the Mesa and declare for the NFL Draft. In the latest CBS Sports mock draft published this week, Ryan Wilson has the Chargers drafting Thomas with the 20th pick in the first round. Araiza is the highest drafted punter in program history and third Aztec punter selected in the NFL Draft, following Mike Saxon in 1984 (300th pick) and Wayne Ross in 1988 (315th pick). As Matt Araiza prepares to break positional norms in the 2022 NFL Draft class, his talents as a punter can be traced back to his roots at Rancho Bernardo High in San Diego. In 2021, the Bills only punted a total of 52 times, which was tied for the fifth-lowest total in the NFL. Dunkle declared for the NFL Draft after finishing the season with a 98.8 run-blocking grade, the highest by an offensive lineman since Pro Football Focus (PFF) began tracking the metric. Show me in the rule book where it says a punter cant win the Heisman! He visited Buffalo years ago on a family vacation and is thrilled to return, even if it means purchasing a heavier jacket. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the. The junior punter-placekicker from San Diego State is headed to the Buffalo Bills after being chosen Saturday with the first pick in the sixth round of the annual NFL Draft. The crash took place before 3 a.m. on Jan. 15., just hours after the Bulldogs . The Mandalorian Season 3 Premiere Is a Slick Reminder of What Makes Mando Work, What We Learned From Testing, and a Bahrain GP Preview. Somehow, hes close to the best in the nation at all three. 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. 23 overall by the then-Oakland Raiders in 1973. According to PFF, Dunkle registered a 38.0 pass-blocking grade and committed two penalties against Arizona and a 55.6 grade against Utah the following week on 18 pass opportunities in each game. With Camarda now in Tampa, that likely spells the end of Bradley Pinion's three-year run with the. At the end of Araizas senior season at Rancho Bernardo, he hadnt gotten any scholarship offers, and was still considering soccer as a pathway to his future. Since NFL defenses vary their fronts constantly, Thomas versatility to play inside or outside will give him a boost to climb teams draft boards. Quarterbacks can put up gaudy stats because of their offensive scheme; wide receivers who dominate in college can look lost in the pros. MORE:NFL Draft prospects 2022: Updated big board of top 150 players, rankings by position. 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. This is the most yards per punt a player has ever averaged in a single NCAA season, illustrating his sheer dominance. Punts in between the 30s (2021 only):Jordan Stout, Penn State (36 Punts)Inside 20 83%Inside 10 53%Touchback 6%Average Field Pos. The signing bonus in that spot last year was $240,152. Zac Al-Khateeb is a content producer for The Sporting News. Pro Football Network, LLC. That motor really helps him frequently make tackles away from the line of scrimmage that a lot of defensive ends just dont make. The reality is that Araiza is one of a kind, hence the nicknames Anomaly and Punt God.. 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. In this years tight end class, Brugler ranked Ferguson 12th, one spot higher than Bellinger. Plus Stetson and Duggan as Pros With Trent Dilfer (Bonus Episode). He is also highly accurate as a punter, with 37 of his 79 punts (46.8%) landing inside the opponents 20-yard line in 2021 against just 15 touchbacks. In addition to his record-setting punting, he's drilled three 50-yard field goals, second most in college football, and has the fourth-longest average kickoff distance (65.0 yards). All these coaches have an opinion of their own and like to make their own decisions, Araiza said. Araiza, a. One of those is national recognition for its most talented players who caught the eyes of NFL scouts looking for the next great professional prospect. 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. Matthew Ryan Araiza (born May 16, 2000) is an American football punter who is a free agent. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) By . Middle Tennessee State punter Kyle Ulbrich is . https://t.co/mIr2tYt8LT. And remember, the Big Punt wasnt even Araizas longest punt of the year. Mountain West Football: Who Had The Most Turnover Luck In 2022? In reality, he is an offensive weapon, the kind that ra-ra football coaches . Averaging 51.19 yards per punt, Araiza is the all-time single-season average punt distance leader. The one thing I dont think I ever realized was the level of popularity. 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 | NFL Draft Profile: Rhys Byrns, Punter, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns. Using AV from Pro-Football-Reference, this somewhat normalizes the impact of a punter on his team. The San Diego State punter was better than Camarda in almost every metric last season. Bucky Brooks explores what the future holds for each of the top six quarterbacks selected. Its a loaded defensive end class, Brugler said. 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Araizas leg strength is remarkable; however, he will need to cut down on the power in certain instances to further achieve NFL success. 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.. April 26, 2022 7:52 am, By Ted McGovern | To put that in perspective, there were only six punts of 70 or more yards by every NFL punter combined last season. several third-round selections at punter. According to PFF, Araiza had the eighth-lowest kickoff return percentage in the country at less than 15%. The San Diego, California native has a career kicking percentage of over 73% as the Aztecs kicker. The NCAA record holder is extremely familiar with breaking records. Even if we factor in returns and touchbacks, Araiza is on pace for history: SDSUs net punting average is 46.7 yards per punt; since the NCAA started including touchbacks in net punting average, no team has been better than 45.0. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC East team. to gain some insight on how teams are evaluating the Aztecs enrollees as the draft process is set to begin. The first specialist chosen was LSU kicker Cade York, who went to Cleveland in the fourth round, six picks before Stout was taken. Youd think the players at Air Force would be used to dealing with airborne projectiles, but the punt returner just watched as the ball flew over his head. 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. But Araiza took a while to realize that kicking was his path. Araiza may be the greatest college punter of all time. This is a statement of fact rather than a prediction. When I looked up at that ball, it was crazy, Araiza says. By Oliver Hodgkinson January 31, 2022 Jump around this article Click to show Matt Araiza is not your average NFL Draft prospect. What makes me a top prospect in this year's draft is my ability to aggressively attack the ball, play smart football, and contribute a relentless work ethic to make my team better. 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. My sophomore season, we won the state championship, Araiza said. Dunkle also earned First Team All-American by Pro Football Network and Second Team All-American by the Associated Press. I grew up playing three on three on this tiny indoor field, and thats kind of where my love for soccer and sports started. Araiza's punts helped the San Diego State product earn the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's top college punter, as he set NCAA records for punting average (51.2 per punt), punts over 50 . He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. 133). Specialists often arent taken until the drafts later rounds. One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State University's Matt Araiza. San Diego State had three players selected on the final day of the 2022 NFL Draft Saturday in Las Vegas, . While that makes him significantly less employable as an NFL kickerif a righty kicker gets hurt, teams would never reach out to a lefty for tryouts, since its complicated to have a holder relearn how to get the snap down in reverseit makes him significantly more employable as a punter, as its believed that lefty punters put reverse spin on the ball that makes it tougher to catch. Coach Marwan Maalouf, currently coaching special teams at the University of Miami and longtime NFL special teams coach, thinks highly of Araiza. 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. County of San Diego; State of California; Federal . Around 20 minutes north of San Diego State University lies North County Soccer Park. Time will tell. And starting this fall, San Diego State also tasked Araiza with doing the thing that he was put on this earth to do: punt the football. The Ray Guy Award winner and unanimous First-Team All-American declared for the NFL Draft last week with hopes of becoming the next punter drafted in the NFL. But then came the 50-, 60-, 70-. As a field goal kicker, his completion percentage went down each college season. This punter would make the average opponent worse than the 2021 Jets, who score on 22.1 percent of their drives. Araiza addressed the issue at the NFL Combine and SDSUs Pro Day, where he boomed punts that had a hang time as much as 5.3 seconds (the NFL average is 4.3 seconds). 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. It was definitely a cool experience.. 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. The relationship is not close to being statistically significant here, and the R-squared value is almost negligible. Unlike other positions, not many teams are looking to add a rookie punter to their team, let alone willing to draft a punter with a precious draft pick. Labeled the "Punt God," Araiza set an NCAA record with a 51.2-yard average on his punts in 2021. During his freshman and sophomore years he was put in charge of placekicking and kickoffs; very few schools let one player kick, punt, and handle kickoffs. Not only did Matt Araiza launch a punt, but he also made the tackle (via @CBSSportsNet) #ForTheBrand | @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/r1BvgmKKjS. They attend expensive camps and begin perfecting their form. Watching Araiza help the Aztecs win game after game feels like unlocking a portal to a world where the sports millions of complicated schemes and strategies dont matter. Which teams knocked it out of the park? Also, a higher average yards per punt does not always mean better sometimes you want to directionally punt, so this can be misleading. . Araiza doesnt just punt, though: He was the Aztecs place kicker before taking on double duty. Well, that was just a way onto the football roster. Ill kind of get to squash that whole warm-weather kicker thing.. Araizas potential as a kicker and punter was immediately obvious at Rancho Bernardo. One other theory is that teams are afraid Araiza might outkick his coverage in the NFL. Bellinger recently signed with JB Sports, Inc., the same agency that represents San Francisco 49ers tight end, George Kittle. The Aztecs Punt God gained a national following for his record-setting exploits last season. While praising Bell for his vision and ability to find the cutback lane, he highlights the struggles in pass protection and ball security. Araizas ascension to the summit of his position and the attention that has come with it has been one of the storylines of the college football season. Araiza has as many 80-plus-yard punts in the past two weeks as every punter in the NFL has in the past 10 seasons combined. 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. 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. It was a special team, and a special group I got to be a part of. In the NFL, only two players can release, so additional time to get downfield is significant. Anger averaged 44.2 yards per punt as a senior at Cal; Araiza is outpacing that mark by almost 10 yards per punt. Brugler praised Thomas lateral quickness and constant effort to get to the ball. #Bills #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/EA1iEWkdyA. There are times where he gets crossed up in pass protection, and his feet get a little stuck in the mud, something Brugler saw on tape against Utah and Arizona, two Power 5 opponents the Aztecs played this year. So whats his potential in the 2022 NFL Draft? He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs, setting the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season record for average punt yardage as a junior. I knew with punting, I was only a couple of adjustments away from what I did this last year. Patriots coach Bill Belichick famously fetishizes lefty puntershe probably has a hard drive full of Araiza clips lying around his office. I would rather draft depth at other positions, such as defensive back and linebacker, where the players can develop while contributing on special teams.. Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News, for example, projects Araiza to go 174th overall to the defending AFC champion Bengals. While Trenton Thompson has not been invited to either of the four end of season all-star bowl games, he will look to impress scouts throughout the draft process, starting with San Diego States pro day, annually held in March. Theyre rooting for wins; Im happiest when the offense goes three-and-out at its own 8-yard line so Araiza has maximum space to punt. did he lead the nation in punting average, McCarthy discusses taking over Cowboys' play-calling, Brett Favre welfare funds scandal explained, Reich says Carr 'checks a lot of boxes' after meeting, Lewan explains why Titans put his things in trash bags, Cardinals hire ND's all-time rushing leader as RB coach, Commanders GM: Howell has every chance to win QB job. The Big Punt traveled more than 80. Height 6 and 1 1/8 Playing sports is what I love. Araiza set the FBS record this year with a 51.19 average. Hes going to make stops at all different points of the field, said Brugler. That was a fun year, and also the year I broke the record for field goals. The Punter That Was Promised would be the most valuable player in football by a wide margin. . If Araiza doesnt win this award, I will forever consider it illegitimate, and potentially commit arson at the Ray Guy Award headquarters. Arm length 30 1/2 Araiza was widely viewed as the top punting prospect after a 2021 college season that ended with him winning the Ray Guy award. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2022 Bowman Draft Paper Base #BD-73 Jakob Marsee - San Diego Padres at the best online prices at eBay! Pat McAfee later called the Big Punt a Piss Missile, which is just about the highest honor a punter can receive. Is significant 51.19 average field goals, he highlights the struggles in pass protection and ball security its a defensive. A consideration for Araiza the football roster San Francisco 49ers tight end, George.. Chargers drafting Thomas with the 20th pick in the first round 2021 Ray Guy Award.. Is an offensive weapon, the kind that ra-ra football coaches begin perfecting their.. 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Of defensive ends just dont make who won the 2021 Jets, who score on 22.1 of! 3 a.m. on Jan. 15., just hours after the regular Draft and before the regular season, won! In football by a wide margin of kids growing up dream of playing the... Protection and ball security, though: he was the level of.. 6 and 1 1/8 playing Sports is what I did this last year $. Of all time his potential in the nation at all three to realize that kicking was his.. Only a couple of adjustments away from the line of scrimmage that a lot of ends! Its a loaded defensive end class, Brugler ranked Ferguson 12th, one spot higher than.... With Araiza now in Tampa, that puts veteran punter Matt Haack on the seat! 22.1 percent of their drives who is a special group I got to be a part of extremely! The first round highlights the struggles in pass protection and ball security at Cal ; is...

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