I already know Ill be playing one of the those teams (at Baltimore) this upcoming season. Can Chris Olave revitalize the Saints' aerial attack? Field Pos. He could have even pursued a career in track after setting high school records in the 110m and 300m hurdles at Rancho Bernardo High School. Bell will need to distinguish himself throughout the draft process if he wants to earn a shot at impressing a team and a spot in training camp. All Rights Reserved. This is a statement of fact rather than a prediction. The San Diego State punter capped off his final season at the college level with the ultimate honor for a college punter, the Ray Guy Award. 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. Araizas potential as a kicker and punter was immediately obvious at Rancho Bernardo. For whatever reason, punters have been a popular position to pick in this year's draft. But Araiza took a while to realize that kicking was his path. The San Diego State punter was better than Camarda in almost every metric last season. Araiza projects as a punter, because thats where hes setting records, and because hes a lefty. Welcome to Buffalo, @Matt_Araiza! 1 to 32. 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. 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. 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. Its the most Aztecs drafted since four were taken in 2012. SIGN UP NOW: $1,000 risk-free on FanDuel Sportsbook! H, es going to make stops at all different points of the field, said Brugler. But Matt didnt have dreams of special teams stardom. Is Brad Holmes' enthusiastic drafting paying dividends for the Lions? He's expected to be one of the players chosen in the 2022 NFL draft next month. No other punter. 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. The only two FBS teams that gave him offers were San Diego State and UMass. The Big Punt traveled more than 80. 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). February 28, 2023 6:16 pm SI NFL Draft Bible. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. Araiza doesnt just punt, though: He was the Aztecs place kicker before taking on double duty. And its not because its Jordan Stout. Thomas won the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year after collecting 20.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks this past season. 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. ET. 8 min read. The signing bonus in that spot last year was $240,152. It was awesome. The Punt God has found a new home. , our 15th-highest-ranked prospect. As for being the third punter drafted? With Camarda now in Tampa, that likely spells the end of Bradley Pinion's three-year run with the. With this one punt, Araiza won the college football weekend:. 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. 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. Another attribute teams love about Thomas is his versatility to play up and down the line of scrimmage. Not only did Matt Araiza launch a punt, but he also made the tackle (via @CBSSportsNet) #ForTheBrand | @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/r1BvgmKKjS. 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. 2022 NFL Draft, Matt Araiza, Mountain West Football, San Diego State Football, Mountain West Football, NCAAF, NFL Draft, San Diego State, 2023 NFL Combine: Preview, Schedule, How To Watch. Matt Araiza is one of the more fascinating prospects of the 2022 NFL Draft which is saying something, considering he's a punter. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the 2021 Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football. Chad Reuter ranks his favorite picks in each round. A story of soccer to San Diego, from punter to Punt God. Yet, Araiza went and nailed an 86-yard punt and an 81-yarder in consecutive games against San Jose State and Air Force. Teams are not drafting you based on what you have done, notes Brugler. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Logically, the first media question to. The Buffalo Bills tweeted out the announcement with a picture of Araiza wearing his red and black Aztecs jersey with now-familiar No. Per the report, police implicated Carter in street racing, which . Punter Bryan Anger famously went five picks before Russell Wilson in 2012 with the 70th overall pick. This begs the question: how well will Matt Araiza transition to the NFL? And remember, the Big Punt wasnt even Araizas longest punt of the year. The number of seasons for each punter includes every season where at least half of a season was played. The Sporting News breaks down everything you need to know about Araiza's record-breaking season in 2021, and the elite group of punters he hopes to join who managed to leverage their collegiate career into high draft picks: Despite Araiza's incredible 2021 season, he is not expected to be among the highest-drafted punters of all time. What happened to the Giants after Round 1? 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Brugler praised Thomas lateral quickness and constant effort to get to the ball. Of course you would use a first-round pick on the Punter That Was Promised. I remember seeing a hypothetical at some point in the past few years: If you were an NFL general manager, would you use a first-round draft pick on a magical punter who could pin every single punt within the opposing 5-yard line? Araiza could have pursued soccer as a career. 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. Punts in between the 30s (2021 only):Jordan Stout, Penn State (36 Punts)Inside 20 83%Inside 10 53%Touchback 6%Average Field Pos. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. 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. One theory on why he fell is because he's never held for extra point or field goals. DUDE HE PUNTED IT FROM THE END ZONE TO THE OPPOSING 18-YARD LINE ON THE FLYTHIS GUY IS THE GREATEST PUNTER OF ALL TIME pic.twitter.com/ED5OyqZ83k, Rancho Bernardo Alumni Matt Araiza with a 75 Yard Punt for SDSU pic.twitter.com/XPHfBMz468, Inexplicably, Matt Araiza did not win Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week despite having one of the best punting games in NCAA history. All four players have the talent to compete and excel at the next level. We were all kind of surprised. San Diego State punter and Ray Guy Award winner Matt Araiza announced Tuesday that he will be entering the 2022 NFL draft after putting together one of the best punting seasons in college football . That was a fun year, and also the year I broke the record for field goals. Araiza set a school record for made field goals in a season and ranked sixth in the nation in touchback percentage in 2019. Punters are an often-overlooked asset on a football squad but San Diego State punter/kicker Matt Araiza has been frequently referenced as the most talented punt prospect in recent history. As for Araiza, the Bills could potentially be getting a steal with their selection of the player known as "Punt God.". Araiza knocked it out of the park, posting numbers comparable to some highly ranked prospects. He spends the evenings with his award-winning legs cast in a recovery boot. Height 6 and 1 1/8 Which teams knocked it out of the park? Although he was the top punting prospect in the draft, Araiza ended up being the third punter selected. 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. The legend of the Punt God might have been born on Brookshire Street, but it truly began at the soccer park on 14530 Espola Road. Araiza is ready and raring to go wherever the next step on his journey takes him. The San Diego, California native has a. as the Aztecs kicker. He's the first SDSU player drafted by Buffalo since . 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. 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). In the past 22 years, there have been several third-round selections at punter. That was definitely my first love. That was somewhat of a goal. Free shipping for many products! Their first three selections are Nos. By Oliver Hodgkinson April 14, 2022 Jump Around This Article Click to show Punters are NFL Draft prospects, too always have been, always will be. His worse pass-blocking grade came the next week against Towson, registering a 34.3 grade on 26 passing opportunities. Freshman year of high school. Hed be worthy of going first. Show me in the rule book where it says a punter cant win the Heisman! Punter's names don't usually pop up as draft choices, so we figured it's a good time to look at the position's history in the draft. Bellinger began training with Jeremy Holt, Owner of AthELITE Performance, yesterday in Music City, USA, along with tight ends Chase Allen (Iowa State) and Jake Ferguson (Wisconsin) in preparation for the NFL Draft. 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 | Arm length 30 1/2 It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. That was probably the year that started all this momentum towards success on the football field.. Labeled the "Punt God," Araiza set an NCAA record with a 51.2-yard average on his punts in 2021. With its great weather, miles of sandy beaches, and major attractions, San Diego is known worldwide as one of the best tourist destinations and a great place for residents to relax year round. They attend expensive camps and begin perfecting their form. 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 only other times it happened came in 1993 and 2007. Will Deadly January Car Accident Tank Jalen Carters Draft Stock? But with Araiza, its easy. 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. San Diego State ranks seventh in overall special teams FEI, which takes into account all aspects of special teams. The defense is legitimately good, ranking third in the FBS in yards allowed per play. This reinforces the significance of gross versus net punting averages. When youre playing a field position battle, this guy will just flip the field and put the ball inside the other 20 with just one swing of his leg. Somehow, hes close to the best in the nation at all three. All You Touch and All You See: Dark Side of the Moon at 50. 1, Ohio State linebacker Tom Cousineau, refused to sign with the Bills and instead inked a lucrative deal with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. In the latest. 0. The San Diego State product has shot up draft boards (relatively) thanks to a season in which he set an NCAA record by averaging 51.19 yards per punt, eclipsing the record set by Texas. Early success formed a catalyst for what was to come later. Obviously, one of the benefits in my decision to pick San Diego State was being close to home. 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. While the PFF analytics are excellent indicators of success, NFL teams will trust their evaluations from watching game tape and in-person workouts. Will the Cowboys' big gamble pay off? All these coaches have an opinion of their own and like to make their own decisions, Araiza said. His broad jump of 10 1 was better than many who are projected to be high draft selections, including Aidan Hutchinson, David Bell, Isaiah Spiller, Brian Robinson Jr., and Trey McBride. But a few plays didn't quite go . It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. 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. It was just to play football, to branch out as an athlete.. Its a loaded defensive end class, Brugler said. 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. A story of soccer to San Diego, from punter to Punt God. When I originally went out for the football team, it wasnt to be a kicker. The NCAA record holder is extremely familiar with breaking records. But as soon as Araiza started kicking, it became clear that he had a gift for it. According to the NFL Mock Draft Database, the highest he is projected to go is in the fifth round picks 144 through 179. Dan Hanzus takes stock of the NFL hierarchy with his post-draft Power Rankings. 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. Weekend: which became effective December 20, 2019 best punter in college football weekend.. Araiza wearing his red and black Aztecs jersey with now-familiar No for made field goals before Russell Wilson in with... About Thomas is his versatility to play football, to branch out as an athlete.. its loaded. To compete and excel at the next level record with a 51.2-yard average on his journey him! It happened came in 1993 and 2007 sign up, I confirm that I have and. 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Holmes ' enthusiastic drafting paying dividends for the Lions the Saints ' aerial attack net!
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