This next punt traveled 88 yards through the air, landing from his own 12-yard line to the literal goal line. 2023 NFL Combine Hand Size Results: Notable Quarterback Measurements and More, 2023 NFL Combine Risers: Christian Gonzalez, Deonte Banks, and Brian Branch Perform Well, Anthony Richardson Combine Results: Florida Star Makes Case for QB1, Jahmyr Gibbs Landing Spots: Eagles, Saints, and Cardinals Most Popular in Mock Drafts. 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 . Although Araiza saw plenty of action at San Diego State, he might not see the field much in Buffalo. A minor nitpick in Araizas game is that a quick delivery like his can make it tougher for his teammates to cover significant ground in coverage, but when you factor in how much stronger his leg is than the average punter, it doesnt even matter. Of course, draft analysis, projections and rumors will be dominating the headlines until then. In addition to his prowess as a punter, Araiza has a 73.5% success rate as a field-goal kicker. Pro Football Network, LLC. All this high school success mattered very little when it came to the recruiting process. Our written profile to add to our NIL Apparel and Podcast Interview of College Football's #1 Punter #sdsu #NFLDraft. Araiza knocked it out of the park, posting numbers comparable to some highly ranked prospects. While his NFL.com draft profile suggests Araiza could use some work on his directional or pooch punting, he is a field-flipper, as evidenced by his 18 punts of 60 yards or longer in 2021. With the NFL Draft fast approaching, six former San Diego State players soon may learn their football fates. In yesterdays game, Matt Araiza elevated his NCAA record with his 16th punt of 60+ yards this year. 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. However, he set a new single-season program record for field goals with 22. Meanwhile, he averaged 41.7 yards on 120 punts that tallied over 5,000 yards. Even then, the potential power lingering in his left leg remained lowkey. Above is a plot of the average. Look how Hawaii prepped for Matt Araiza. Davis was the force behind college footballs most dominant defense last season, fueling a Georgia group that carried their team to the national championship. The term generational talent is incredibly cliche and should be avoided more often than not, as hyperbolic analysts can throw it around to simply describe prospects who are very good, regardless of whether theyre far and away better than other players at their position over the last few decades. Even then, the potential power lingering in his left leg remained lowkey. But how have other drafted punters panned out in the NFL? Check this out. This season Araiza hasnt had a single kick punt or field goal blocked. 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 former San Diego State punter didn't get selected until the Bills made him the first pick of the sixth round (180th overall). Analysis: Araiza took a step to the forefront last season and was a rockstar punter for the Aztecs. If he passes those criteria while youre working him out and he hits the Duke well, able to turn the ball over, then yes, you check off the boxes., Once a special teams coach feels comfortable with Araizas ability, the coach may want to suggest the rest of the front office look into acquiring him in the draft. No wonder the "punt god" is generating NFL draft buzz. Whoever drafts him could be ending up with a perennial All-Pro talent. against San Jose State in October. Inconsistent accuracy on his field goals. Most fans expected San Diego State's Matt Araiza to be the first punter selected in the 2022 NFL draft, but multiple prospects at his position came off the board before he heard his name called . All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. 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. Surely theres some NFL team that takes him earlier than you would expect. 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. But the San Diego State punter, nicknamed "Punt God" by Twitter and anyone that has seen his 80-yard moonshots for three seasons with the Aztecs, has declared for the 2022 NFL Draft. In 1976 and 1978, a whopping eight punters were drafted. Araiza in 2021 booted 79 punts for 4,044 yards for an NCAA-record 51.18 yards per punt. With Camarda now in Tampa, that likely spells the end of Bradley Pinion's three-year run with the team. The prolific punter also showcased his versatility as a powerful placekicker, hitting 77% of his 48 attempts with a career long of 53 yards. Youll see here part of what makes Araiza so special. But how high, exactly, can we expect a team to take Araiza, winner of the 2021 Ray Guy Award? 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. (Interestingly, I found out while researching this that Cleveland used second round picks in both 1977 and 1978 to draft a punter. But that style is outdated in the modern NFL, where the last remaining stick-slide-climb thrower is the ever-ageless Tom Brady. Fewer punters have been more consistent than the Georgia prospect. He possesses all the tools to start in the NFL and will be a very early draft pick for a punter. During his first two seasons with the Aztecs, he hit long field goals of 48 yards (Wyoming 19, Colorado 20). The NFL only allows the two end defenders to do so. But there are questions about Davis viability at the NFL level. There have been multiple third-round selections, while FSU punter John Stark was a second-round choice in 1982. 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. With the 175th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the LA Rams select punter Matt Araiza out of San Diego State. Matt Araiza is the greatest collegiate punter I have ever watched. They'll give up some big returns, but they'll also have some giant flips of field position.". Forces a lot of fair catches. We've received your submission. Consistency, then Penn State punter Jordan Stout should be called Mr. He reportedly said, "Bills Mafia, there is no off-season.". 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. Of course, Davis didnt need to play third downs at Georgia because the damage was already done on the first two downs. The. It is officially mock draft season! 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. Weve been studying the players for 11 months. Not too shabby. Together, they were unblockable. Cut (s): Eli Ankou, Prince Emili, Mike Love, Kingsley Jonathan, Brandin Bryant, Daniel Joseph, C.J. MattAraiza. NFL draft projection. Among the players expected to hear his name is punter Matt Araiza out of San Diego State. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Araiza stands at just over 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds. Yes, thats right Araiza truly flipped the field for the Aztecs, changing the line-of-scrimmage from their own 11-yard-line to the 3-yard-line of the Spartans. | NFL All Day Pack Opening, Jimbo Fisher Isnt Leaving Texas A&M Football, New Texas State Football Coach Wont Last Long, Best PrizePicks College Football DFS Picks and Player Props for CFP National Championship, TCU vs Georgia Prediction, Odds and College Football National Championship Betting Picks, Marcus Jones Draft Profile: Stats, Highlights and 2022 NFL Draft Projection, Cameron Dicker Draft Profile: Stats, Highlights and 2022 NFL Draft Projection, How To Watch Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury In Canada, Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury LIVE! . A fifth-round selection for Araiza would not be particularly noteworthy in the history of punters taken in the NFL draft. 5th Year Option Projections; Free Agency. Araiza, who was released by the Bills on Saturday, was accused of being involved in the gang rape of a 17-year-old, with details coming to light after a lawsuit was filed in San Diego County Superior Court accusing Araiza and two of his teammates at San Diego State. Gambling problem? 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. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. Currently, Matt Araiza is projected to go around the 5th or 6th round, but that could easily change as we get closer . As a San Diego native, there was naturally just one choice. When it comes to punters, the bigger surprise is that the Buccaneers took Camarda over Araiza. No other player this season has two 80+ yard punts. The Bills may not have knownaboutthe allegations hanging over punter Matt Araiza when they drafted him, but at least two other teams had an inkling that something had happened. 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. 174) - 1. More than just power, Araiza has a punting style that causes the ball to roll forward if it is not caught. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. Despite those struggles. Being a left-footed punter, teams will have to adjust their formations to help fit his needs. 1 CB, Paul Burmeister: Why Derek Carr Might Not Be QB to Win You a Championship, Tracker: Patriots Release QB Hoyer. That isnt the case for Araiza, whose naturally quick delivery makes it easy for him to get the ball out and seriously flip field position for his team. 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 | Matt Araiza is one of the more fascinating prospects of the 2022 NFL Draft which is saying something, considering he's a punter. That includes CBSSports.com, which lists Araiza as the 126th prospect in the draft. According to the NFL Mock Draft Database, the highest he is projected to go is in the fifth round picks 144 through 179. The punt went for a touchback, but when you still factor the flipping from San Diego States 21-yard line to Hawaiis 20-yard line, thats still a 59-yard flip with the touchback. All the more impressive, the 2021 season was Araiza's first taking on full-time punting duties for the Aztecs. What Matt Araiza did in college football was revolutionary from a position where it's tough to disrupt how the game is played. He is a big-armed, big-bodied quarterback who plays in the classic, dropback, Carson Palmer style. Although he didnt participate in any all-star games, Araizas ascension has continued through the pre-draft process. The 2022 NFL Draft is quickly approaching, with the first round kicking off on Thursday, April 28th. Carson Strong has a great arm but teams will worry about his injury history. 2023 Mock Drafts 2024 Mock Drafts 2025 Mock Drafts. As a result, theres an ever-growing feeling that his floor in the 2022 NFL Draft will be the fifth round. From the aforementioned information, it appears that Araiza is an elite punting prospect. Stout will likely end up replacing the longtime Ravens punter, who turns 40 in August. At the very least, remember the name Matt Araiza and the punt god designation following him. Upon arriving at the school, he knocked on the door of the football coach. Dicker The Kicker has a 46.3-yard career punting average and 75.9% career field-goal completion. The 2022 NFL Draft is quickly approaching, with the first round kicking off on Thursday, April 28th. Super Bowl 2023 Daytona 500 College Basketball Rankings NBA All-Star . That ability to flip the field to pin opponents deep in their own half, no matter where his own offense stalls out serves as a cheat code. School: San Diego State. Draft Order & Rookie Pools; . More important than the distance is Araizas unusual control of the ball, allowing him to pin opposing offenses deep in their own half rather than just booming the ball out the back of the endzone. For starters, college football allows for any player to go downfield after the snap on a punt. Punts in between the 30s (2021 only):Jordan Stout, Penn State (36 Punts)Inside 20 83%Inside 10 53%Touchback 6%Average Field Pos. What I was asked to do was different from a skill set (perspective) than maybe other players have. . Since 2000, just two draft classes (2017 and 2011) have not had a punter selected to the NFL. For reference, the NFL single-season record for average punt is 51.4 yards. (AV) of a punter per season who has been drafted in the last 15 seasons. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the 2021 Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football. Meanwhile, Texas specialist Cameron Dicker has punting and kicking versatility. If you were going to bet on a long shot, however, who better than two prospects whose whole careers have been about making those long shots? His 51.2 yards per punt is the most in a single season by any college punter in the history of the sport. Field Pos. Does a terrific job selling fake punts. , given to the best punter in college football. ), wins college football weekend, deserves the Heisman . Punter Bryan Anger famously went five picks before Russell Wilson in 2012 with the 70th overall pick. Hi coach, Ojabo said. But how have other drafted punters panned out in the NFL? 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. However, that doesnt mean that his scouting report doesnt reveal some areas for improvement. 1. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. 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. Finally, Araiza has shown toughness and athletic ability during his time at San Diego State. Furthermore, its reported that Araiza routinely makes kicks from 50+ in practice. Araiza sits neatly at the intersection of crusty old Football Guys and the new wave of analytically inclined general managers. All Rights Reserved. He is a threat to cover his own punts and kicks. 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. He has a repeatable and pro-ready approach with consistently polished footwork. Pro football is a game of land acquisition, played four downs at a time. Simply put, Araiza is the best punting prospect to enter the NFL Draft in quite some time. The NFL Draft doesn't usually surprise us much when it comes to punting, but on Saturday it came with two big surprises. Personally, I would not draft a punter, regardless of how good he is, until the 7th-round the 6th-round at the earliest. Faalele is from Melbourne, and an assistant coach for Hawaii on a scouting trip to Australia discovered him while he was rehabbing an injury at a local gym. We explored a massive trade-down scenario in a recent seven-round mock draft. 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. He followed that up with a Thanos-like performance at the scouting combine: the 341 lb Davis ran the 40-yard dash in 4.78 seconds, the fastest for any player over 330 lb at the combine since 2006; Davis later had a standing broad jump of 10ft 3in, the record for a player over 300 pounds; he tacked on a 34in vertical leap for good measure, a doubletake-worthy figure for someone of his size. 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 | Araiza's controversial stay in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills is well noted. Other Aztecs are also headed for the NFL Draft as well. In fact, there hasnt been an NFL starter in the 21st century built as big as the Aussie. 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. Punters can be prolific athletes, too! He was a sixth-round pick of the team at the 2022 NFL draft. 154) - 1 - Cincinnati Bengals (No. Possesses a monster leg, gets tremendous hang time on punts, and allows coverage teams to get downfield and make the play. Eric D. Williams goes to practice with Matt Araiza, who could be the first punter selected on Day 2 of a draft since 2012. . These arent just courtesy of a lucky bounce either these punts are traveling through the air. He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. The San Diego State punter has a career-long 53-yard field goal to his name. 147, a high fifth-round pick. 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. Araiza is set to be one of the highest-selected punters in recent NFL Draft history. PFN Draft Analyst Tony Pauline has Araiza graded as a top-100 player on his latest big board. Reportedly other teams did. Colorado States Ryan Stonehouse featured just behind Araiza this year, with an average of 50.9 yards per punt. 2023 NFL Draft Top 25 Big Board: Young No. He can be seen putting his high school track athleticism to good use getting downfield. In this graphic, there appears to be nearly no association between where a player was selected and his average AV per season. This wasnt just a one-off occurrence either. The Punt God is averaging far more yards per punt than Anger did his senior year. This unit was added to a lot this offseason. His ceiling could be. For this reason, I believe its time for me to do something Ive only done once before: a special teamer breakdown. Between high school punting and a love of soccer, he developed a powerful leg that has been comfortably the most powerful in college football this last season. If that seems confusing/odd/laughable (delete as applicable), think about this: In 2021 he hit 18 punts of 60-plus yards and a pair of 80-plus yarders. According to NYup.com, Moulds shared a video of Shakir working out with him. Landing both prospects would fill position needs, but that's a dream scenario because Gardner will likely be long gone if the Chargers decide to stay at No. One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State University's Matt Araiza. Updated. They also dont currently have a fourth-round pick, barring some wheeling and dealing on Draft Day. 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. Since 2000, just two draft classes (2017 and 2011) have not had a punter selected to the NFL. By. Matt Araiza had two punts of more than 80 yards last season, including an 86-yarder that was the longest punt in college football. Talk about ineptitude.) 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). Among the players expected to hear his name is punter Matt Araiza out of San Diego State.
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