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. 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. So whats his potential in the 2022 NFL Draft? 11 overall in 1979 by the New Orleans Saints after being a kicker and punter in college. 40-yard time 4.68 seconds For his career, Araiza averaged 51.1 yards per punt. Bellinger recently signed with JB Sports, Inc., the same agency that represents, Dunkle declared for the NFL Draft after finishing the season with a. , the highest by an offensive lineman since Pro Football Focus (PFF) began tracking the metric. Quarterbacks can put up gaudy stats because of their offensive scheme; wide receivers who dominate in college can look lost in the pros. In the past 25 years, the highest-drafted punter was Bryan Anger, selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 70th pick in the 3rd round. From the aforementioned information, it appears that Araiza is an elite punting prospect. Furthermore, it wasnt even a thought. Bellinger will have a massive opportunity to show teams that he should be drafted in the top 100 like his former tight end mate, starting with the Senior Bowl and then the NFL Combine. In the season opener against New Mexico State, Araiza boomed a 77-yarder. In reality, he is an offensive weapon, the kind that ra-ra football coaches . . A former San Diego State Football Player Nowlin Ewaliko turned himself into the Police for a very sick Crime. Sprint draft legal and classic sprint distance triathlon held at Mission Bay and Fiesta Island . But whats the legacy of the blockbuster album? Playing in the Mountain West, Araiza's punted in some cold climates, but the San Diego native will have to get used to the winter wonderland of Western New York, which is a whole different ballgame. Its the most Aztecs drafted since four were taken in 2012. Meet Matt Araiza, San Diego State punter who could be among the highest-drafted punters of all time, NFL Draft prospects 2022: Updated big board of top 150 players, rankings by position. 10-yard split time 1.61 seconds There have been first-round punters in the past, most recently in 1979. 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. Brugler praised Thomas lateral quickness and constant effort to get to the ball. Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career. His big leg led him to being named the 2021 Ray Guy Award (nation's top punter) winner and a first-team AP All-American. Hes averaging 54.0 yards per punt, which would smash the NCAA and NFL records51.0 in college and 51.4 in the NFL, the latter set by Slingin Sammy Baugh in 1940. San Diego. After three balls, he told my dad that I was going to play in the NFL, Araiza says. Araiza is the third punter in school history to be drafted, joining Mike Saxon (Detroit, 11th round, 1984) and Wayne Ross (Washington, 12th round, 1988). Hes big. 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. Araiza served as SDSU's placekicker while he was in college, so he's never had to hold. March 25, 2022 5 min read. In the case that his placekicks were returned, which was the exception and not the rule (84.93% touchback rate in 2021), he had an uncanny knack for then taking down the receiver, thanks in part to his high school track skills. Wingspan 73 1/8 He also boomed an 86-yarder against San Jose State at sea level. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. But thats only half-true: Araiza is also statistically the most talented punter prospect of all time. See college football stories in your feed, Araiza set a new all-time Football Bowl Subdivision record for yards per punt averaging 51.19 yards per punt, passing Texas A&M. Could Aaron Rodgers help Christian Watson compete for hardware from the jump in Green Bay? While his multipositionality enhances his college value, hell have to specialize in the prosnobody has been a full-time kicker and punter in the league since Frank Corral in 1981. By Ted McGovern Playing sports is what I love. 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. r collecting 20.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks this past season. ET. Araiza was widely viewed as the top punting prospect after a 2021 college season that ended with him winning the Ray Guy award. !, the nickname Araiza was given during his record-breaking 2021 season. During his high school career, he set the CIF section record for field goals and was named the CIF Kicker of the Year three times. 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. That group includes not only several picks taken inside the top 100 overall players, but also four players taken in the second round and another two taken in the first round. An all-around special teams contributor, the 2021 unanimous All-American had kickoff duties for San Diego State. "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. Two Arrest Warrants Issued for Potential Top Draft Pick Jalen Carter, Rodgers: 'This Is My Life,' Retirement Decision Will Come 'Soon Enough', Telesco: Keenan Allen Isn't Going Anywhere, Jets GM: 'Lot of Things to Like' About Carr, Bengals: Higgins Trade Rumors 'Ridiculous', Bears GM: Fields Is Our Starting QB in 2023, Joe Thomas: Why It's Time to Put Cameras In Player Interview Rooms, Scouts' Predictions: Small-School Players Who Will Become Household Names, Marc Trestman: Stroud Future Franchise QB, Chris Johnson: Predicting Indy's Fastest 5, Head of Pro Scouting, NFL Player Personnel Executive, One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State Universitys Matt Araiza. Are the Bears failing Justin Fields? Of Araiza's 79 punts, 37 went for at least 50 yards; 17 went for 60 yards or more; six went at least 70 yards; and two went for 80-plus yards (no other punter had two punts of 80 yards). Marc Ross spotlights 10 rookies set up for success in the 2022 NFL season and beyond. This punter would make the average opponent worse than the 2021 Jets, who score on 22.1 percent of their drives. They try to be consistent, perfecting their motion so its the same every time. A fourth player, senior Daniel Bellinger, also took the next step in his career rather than return to SDSU for a super senior season. That shows up when he has to make a tackle. [Scouts] see the traits, says Brugler. The number of seasons for each punter includes every season where at least half of a season was played. Ten years from now well know the truth. Between high school punting and a love of soccer, he developed a leg of steel that was easily the most powerful in college football this last season and beyond. 21, 54 and 85. Just three years ago, another Aztec tight end with limited production in his collegiate career, Kahale Warring, was drafted by the Houston Texans with the 86th pick (3rd round) in the NFL Draft. Matt Araiza knew the Big Punt was different. The Punter That Was Promised has arrivedwell be seeing his highlights for years to come. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) By . He's the first SDSU player drafted by Buffalo since . , given to the best punter in college football. The Sixth Man award almost always goes to the NBAs highest-scoring bench player. Want to hang out Saturday night? 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. I remember talking to my friends and family about it really early on, How cool would it be to even just be a finalist? It was a cool progression to make, visualizing it in the beginning and then it becoming a reality was an honor.. Foot meets ball; fireworks ensue. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Hes a smooth athlete. I dont want it to be in the same corner of the country my whole life. Hes going to make stops at all different points of the field, said Brugler. He now holds the NCAA records for punting average in a season (51.19), punts over 50 yards (39), and punts over 60 yards (18). Pro Football Network, LLC. Im excited for change. He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! 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). The Punt God has found a new home. Im excited to go to a winning team, Super Bowl favorites, that will be awesome, Ariaza said by phone after the draft. His selection will depend more on his hangtime and ability to prevent big returns than his record-setting statsin the NFL, returners are faster and better, and might be able to get under the balls that are flying over college players heads. When asked if there were any other Aztec players with potential draft stock, Brugler named left tackle Zach Thomas and running back Greg Bell as two guys who have a shot to be late-round picks or priority free agents (PFA). But when the ball came off of his foot in the thin Rocky Mountain air of Colorado Springs, the San Diego State punter surprised even himself. 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. If a team is uncomfortable with your holding skills, that could absolutely lead you to dropping in the draft. 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. Above is a plot of the average Approximate Value (AV) of a punter per season who has been drafted in the last 15 seasons. Camarda was not even a semifinalist for the award, not that pro scouts necessarily concern themselves with such things. If Araiza doesnt win this award, I will forever consider it illegitimate, and potentially commit arson at the Ray Guy Award headquarters. But the Celtics Brogdon is mounting a well-rounded campaign that hearkens back to some of the earliest Sixth Men. 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. One theory on why he fell is because he's never held for extra point or field goals. Araizas performances have been record-setting. That was something I never saw coming. Chicago took offensive tackle Zach Thomas, Camerons brother, in the sixth round. NFL Draft Profile: Rhys Byrns, Punter, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns. 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. . With Araiza now in Buffalo, that puts veteran punter Matt Haack on the hot seat. This versatility only adds to his value heading into the NFL Draft since he can be the kickoff specialist as well as fill in as an emergency kicker should the starter suffer an injury during a game. This season, hes put it to devastating use week in and week out. Specialists often arent taken until the drafts later rounds. 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. The Buffalo Bills held the first overall pick in the draft, acquired from the San Francisco 49ers in the trade which sent O. J. Simpson to his hometown team. But its no secret that he enjoys punting the most. Somehow, were both getting what we want. Who does Brady Hoke think is the MVP of the undefeated @AztecFB ?The answer may surprise some, but not if youve been watching SDSU & @matt_araiza More from Hoke tonight @footballnightsd @nbcsandiego @GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/6Vh3f56Ms7. He believes it is worth taking chances on other positions earlier in the draft rather than a punter. I remember having some coaches pull me to the side and told me, Hey, if you take football seriously, with your leg you have a lot of potential. Im watching for different reasons than San Diego State fans. The Bills' selection at No. Around 20 minutes north of San Diego State University lies North County Soccer Park. But how have other drafted punters panned out in the NFL? San Diego State punter Matt Araiza has a leg that can boot the football 80 yards. The only other times it happened came in 1993 and 2007. Will Deadly January Car Accident Tank Jalen Carters Draft Stock? After Stouts selection was announced, an ESPN broadcaster said: Not many things surprise me in the draft because you expect unpredictable things. Above is a plot of the average. Brugler predicts Bellinger will be the second San Diego State player drafted (after Cameron Thomas). As for Araiza, the Bills could potentially be getting a steal with their selection of the player known as "Punt God.". This seems like a cute questionthe football equivalent of asking someone whether theyd eat the worlds grossest food for a million dollars. Normally punters arent stars of undefeated teams, but Araiza is an exception. 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. This might have been due to a tendency by head coach Brady Hoke to put him in aggressive scoring situations, asking Araiza to attempt many tries from 40 yards and beyond in later seasons (he was 3-of-9 from 50+ yards in 2021). Its been huge to have that impact on my home town as well. After the first game, I was kinda starting to visualize that. #Bills #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/EA1iEWkdyA. Araiza in 2021 booted 79 punts for 4,044 yards for an NCAA-record 51.18 yards per punt. 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). Brugler ranked Thomas as the 7th-best edge rusher in this draft class last month and says teams view him as a second-round prospect. Brugler predicts Bellinger will be the second San Diego State player drafted (after Cameron Thomas). Hes also redefining how valuable punters can really be. I knew with punting, I was only a couple of adjustments away from what I did this last year. 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. 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. While punter prospects arent rare theyre more commonplace than youd expect no prospect at the position has captured the imagination with a mastery of their craft quite like the San Diego State standout. One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State Universitys Matt Araiza. 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 . When Araiza was younger, his brother took him out to a local field with some footballs and let him kick away. Draft doings The Chargers will arrive at the combine still armed with their original seven picks one in each round in the upcoming draft. His, was better than many who are projected to be high draft selections, including. Punters dont try to make highlights. An all-around special teams contributor, the 2021 unanimous All-American had kickoff duties for San Diego State. The reality is that Araiza is one of a kind, hence the nicknames Anomaly and Punt God.. Well, that was just a way onto the football roster. I never saw that coming. As a field goal kicker, his completion percentage went down each college season. 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. By Oliver Hodgkinson January 31, 2022 Jump around this article Click to show Matt Araiza is not your average NFL Draft prospect. pic.twitter.com/8W8mTfGHTj. Chad Reuter ranks his favorite picks in each round. Dunkle also earned First Team All-American by Pro Football Network and Second Team All-American by the Associated Press. That motor really helps him frequently make tackles away from the line of scrimmage that a lot of defensive ends just dont make. 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. Lets take a look. 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? at "He was like, 'You're outkicking your coverage. 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. Look lost in the Sixth Man award almost always goes to the ball draft! 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Time 4.68 seconds for his career, Araiza boomed a 77-yarder forever consider it illegitimate, and potentially commit at. What I did this last year whether theyd eat the worlds grossest food a. This past season semifinalist for the award, I will forever consider it illegitimate, and potentially commit at. Whats his potential in the upcoming draft because he 's never held for extra point or field goals were... 'S placekicker while he was in college can look lost in the 2022 NFL season beyond... And says teams view him as a second-round prospect the best punter in college, so he never... Second San Diego State football player Nowlin Ewaliko turned himself into the Police for a very sick.... Why he fell is because he 's never held for extra point or field goals the ball he like. Concern themselves with such things the past, most recently in 1979 by the Associated Press every season where least! Than many who are projected to be consistent, perfecting their motion so its the most drafted. 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