However, 17 punters have actually been selected on what we would now call Day 2 of the NFL Draft. Winning the first down forcing a negative play or creating a second-and-ten is how defenses can keep up in the era of the chunk play offense. Before we produce the punting protagonists of this 2022 NFL Draft prediction, its worth discussing the place this class could hold in NFL history. That is the nickname San Diego State's Matt Araiza has received from his incredible collegiate career. My names David Ojabo. He also set the FBS mark for 50-yard punts with his 33rd of the season. He was an unanimous All-American and the Ray Guy Award winner in 2021, making FBS history as the single-season leader with 51.19 yards per punt. Finally, Araiza has shown toughness and athletic ability during his time at San Diego State. 2022 NFL Draft Team Mock Drafts. DB/Specialist Pre-Draft Notes (2022 NFL Draft) by Shane Hallam April 21, 2022 0 520. 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. The Aztec junior is an offensive weapon that frequently puts his defense in favorable spots. That said, Matt Araiza is a generational talent at punter. According to the NFL Mock Draft Database, the highest he is projected to go is in the fifth round picks 144 through 179. Araizas leg power is also demonstrated as a field goal and kickoff specialist. Among the players expected to hear his name is punter Matt Araiza out of San Diego State. Dicker The Kicker has a 46.3-yard career punting average and 75.9% career field-goal completion. They also dont currently have a fourth-round pick, barring some wheeling and dealing on Draft Day. He has the power to flip the field with one kick. On Aug. 25 shortly after the team awarded Araiza the starting punting job, he was accused of being part of a gang raping of a 17-year-old girl while he attended San Diego State, according to the Los Angeles Times. 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. It's probable that he would have hit a fourth for 55 yards . He also has the FBS record for 60+ yard punts. Araiza is set to be one of the highest-selected punters in recent NFL Draft history. Nicknamed "Punt God," the San Diego State product became well known for booming punts 80 yards and averaging an NCAA-record 51.19 yards . The Buffalo Bills are going to have a tough decision to make. One other theory is that teams are afraid Araiza might outkick his coverage in the NFL. He only makes two steps upon catching the ball, as opposed to a running start that some college punters use. He has another 80-yard punt this season too. The likes of Mitch Wishnowsky and Max Duffy from recent draft classes utilized this style of punting before entering the NFL. Furthermore, its reported that Araiza routinely makes kicks from 50+ in practice. Given the recent trends of where punters have been drafted, it would make sense for Araiza to be selected on Day 3 since only Bryan Anger has been taken before then in the past 15 years. This is the most yards per punt a player has ever averaged in a single NCAA season, illustrating his sheer dominance. These arent just courtesy of a lucky bounce either these punts are traveling through the air. Pro Football Network, LLC. Ethan Sears. Personally, I would not draft a punter, regardless of how good he is, until the 7th-round the 6th-round at the earliest. That includes CBSSports.com, which lists Araiza as the 126th prospect in the draft. This is what enablers do.. Since 2000, just two draft classes (2017 and 2011) have not had a punter selected to the NFL. 2023 NFL Draft Top 25 Big Board: Young No. Despite those struggles,Araizas game against UNLV gave the football world its first glimpse of him as a punter, nailing 4 of 5 punts over 50 yards. Not only has he shown his prowess as a punter, but Coach Maalouf adds he kicked off as well and was good at it. Araiza knocked it out of the park, posting numbers comparable to some highly ranked prospects. Araizas game against UNLV gave the football world its first glimpse of him as a punter, nailing 4 of 5 punts over 50 yards. 2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Matt Araiza. 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. Araiza, nicknamed the "Punt God," was a unanimous All-American and the winner of the Ray Guy Award in 2021. Stout will likely end up replacing the longtime Ravens punter, who turns 40 in August. The number of seasons for each punter includes every season where at least half of a season was played. While Araiza had decent success in landing punts inside the 20 this season, he needs to demonstrate consistency in this regard. All Rights Reserved. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Even these statistical accomplishments usually wouldnt attract the adoration that Araiza has received in this NFL Draft process. His 32 vertical jump was the same as Chris Olave, our 15th-highest-ranked prospect. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Indeed, it wouldnt be jaw-dropping to see Araiza a punter! Increasing his punt average with every year, Stout earned an invite to the Senior Bowl, where he impressed in sometimes torrid conditions. 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. For whatever reason, punters have been a popular position to pick in this year's draft. I didnt know what a first down was or anything, Faalele told ESPN in 2018. Reportedly other teams did. Matt Araiza Scouting Report. Use our promo code VENDETTA or use the link below to get a 100% instant matchon any deposit. Copyright 2019-2023. Teams worried about Davis role on third down should instead be focused on how he can tip the scales in their favor on the most important down of all. Araiza now holds the record for punts of 50+ yards. In Araizas scouting report, we break through the numbers and noise to scrutinize his pro potential ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. No other punter has nailed two 80+ yard punts in 2021. 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). SOMEONE GET ME A TABLE!! Matt Araiza is San Diego State's record-setting punter. Matt Araiza draft projection. One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State Universitys Matt Araiza. The biggest surprise is that college football's top punter, Matt Araiza, wasn't the first punter off the board this year. At worst, the allegation contained in a civil lawsuit filed Thursday that Araiza, a former San Diego State star . We explored a massive trade-down scenario in a recent seven-round mock draft. With the NFL Draft fast approaching, six former San Diego State players soon may learn their football fates. Zac Al-Khateeb is a content producer for The Sporting News. The truth of the matter, however, is that Araiza is just the tip of the iceberg of a talented punting class. He is a big-armed, big-bodied quarterback who plays in the classic, dropback, Carson Palmer style. 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. However, this style doesnt really translate to the NFL. Matt Araiza Draft Stock & Draft Projection. 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. As a result, theres an ever-growing feeling that his floor in the 2022 NFL Draft will be the fifth round. John Harbaugh is a former special teams coach and he has a better eye for punters and kickers than any other head coach in the NFL, so if he wanted Stout, you can bet he liked his punting style more than he liked Araiza's booming style. I would rather draft depth at other positions, such as defensive back and linebacker, where the players can develop while contributing on special teams.. Even then, the potential power lingering in his left leg remained lowkey. The roster has been set for awhile in the defensive trenches. 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. Current. After the horrendous playoff performance, the Packers . Just the 270th-ranked player in California and 2,609th nationally, Araiza held only three offers, with San Diego State winning out over UMass and FCS-level Montana. The Bills, though, were aware that Araiza was the subject of a police investigation when they releasedMatt Haack his competition for the starting punter job on Monday. Twenty-nine percent of his punts went for touchbacks. Jump around this article Click to show Punters are NFL Draft prospects, too always have been, always will be. 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. With Camarda now in Tampa, that likely spells the end of Bradley Pinion's three-year run with the team. Four punters were chosen in the 2016 NFL Draft. In our heart of hearts, I can lay my head down at night knowing that Ive tried to do whats right., The best insights from the ultimate insiders, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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Chatter among leaky scouts has suggested that Faalele may be too big to play tackle in the league, that he will struggle to dip and sink to wall off the leagues premier dip-and-rip pass-rushers. Araiza's controversial stay in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills is well noted. (Interestingly, I found out while researching this that Cleveland used second round picks in both 1977 and 1978 to draft a punter. But, thats not all Araiza can do. If a team is uncomfortable with your holding skills, that could absolutely lead you to dropping in the draft. Get the latest on Buffalo Bills P Matt Araiza including news, stats, videos, and more on CBSSports.com . , our 15th-highest-ranked prospect. Araiza is set to be one of the highest-selected punters in recent NFL Draft history. 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. No punter has been selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft since 1995. He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. Former Saints punter Thomas Morstead recently explained to the Athletic why that's a concern. San Diego State P Matt Araiza. Entry: 2022 Draft, Round 6, #180 overall (Bills) Contract History. Matt Araiza Overview. He also has the ability to make tackles, with speed and athleticism. All the more impressive, the 2021 season was Araiza's first taking on full-time punting duties for the Aztecs. Check this out. 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. While I ordinarily like to steer clear of pro comparisons, there are striking similarities between Stout and four-time first-team All-Pro punter Johnny Hekker. Corey Bojorquez has also shown inconsistency. Araiza has as many 80-yard punts in just this season as the NFL has produced since 2013. 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. That said, it wouldnt be surprising at all if somebody took him as early as Round 3. Bills get the Punt God in the SIXTH ROUND. Now, he is one of the rarest prospects in football: a punter with buzz. Hutchinson was an effort player; Ojabo the beat-them-out-of-their-cleats, vintage, get-off-and-go rusher. However, even in recent history, multiple punters were selected in 2019 and 2020. If we include the multi-faceted Travon Walker in the discussion, he may wind up being the third defensive lineman taken from Georgias all-world defensive front. Araiza also boomed an 86-yard punt last season, which was the longest in college football. 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.
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