san diego state punter draft
Although drafting a punter often indicates this player will be the unquestioned starter, the position simply is not at a premium where the best at the position and an average player are not too far apart from one another. Coach Marwan Maalouf, currently coaching special teams at the University of Miami and longtime NFL special teams coach, thinks highly of Araiza. With this one punt, Araiza won the college football weekend:. In fact, the San Diego State punter and placekicker had his eye on playing in his school's brand-new stadium next season while going for a master's degree. Somehow, were both getting what we want. The NFL scouting combine an intense and significant event in the pre-draft process is underway in Indianapolis. The Bills' selection at No. 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. Mountain West Football: Who Had The Most Turnover Luck In 2022? His 32 vertical jump was the same as Chris Olave, our 15th-highest-ranked prospect. Big, big leg. Avid sports fan and historian of basketball, baseball, football and soccer. But how have other drafted punters panned out in the NFL? Punters dont try to make highlights. Georgias Dominant Title Defense and a Curtain Call for the Ages, The Mandalorian Season 3, Episode 1 Instant Reactions. 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. His worse pass-blocking grade came the next week against Towson, registering a 34.3 grade on 26 passing opportunities. How Far Can This Version of James Harden Take the Sixers? Hand size 9 1/2 130) and Georgia's Jake Camarda to the Buccaneers (fourth round, No. As a field goal kicker, his completion percentage went down each college season. But at the very least, Araiza has ensured that pro scouts will look at him, which didnt happen for him coming out of high school. Few could have seen this meteoric rise to success. Chad Reuter identifies 12 rookies picked on Day 3 of the NFL draft who could be in line for starter snaps in Year 1. Who will take advantage of potential opportunities? Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC East team. Bellingers seasonal production did not overtly scream NFL caliber tight end, finishing 2021 with 31 receptions for 357 yards and only two touchdowns. . Labeled the "Punt God," Araiza set an NCAA record with a 51.2-yard average on his punts in 2021. 22 San Diego State at New Mexico, Structure of Manny Machados new contract leaves Padres room to add more big names, Spring training recap: Juan Soto stays hot, Nick Martinez earns extra work in rain-shortened Padres win, Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove fractures big toe in kettlebell accident; timetable for return tough to forecast, Column: Padres roller-coaster day includes Joe Musgrove injury, Manny Machado contract, Fernando Tatis debut, Februarys athletes of the month include CIF hoops and soccer champs, standout grapplers, David Benner, Indiana Pacers longtime PR director, dies, Panthers weighing options as quarterback hunt continues, Tennessee PG Zakai Zeigler suffers season-ending knee injury, Cadiz wants to halt Spanish league after refereeing mistake, Annecy stuns favorite Marseille to reach 1st French Cup semi, No. So that builds his value to your team especially if you have an older kicker who now you can take the kickoff duty from.. Every front office in the NFL may have Araiza at a different spot on their boards come the last week in April, but the standout college special teams player should hear his name called during the 2022 NFL Draft. Araiza knocked it out of the park, posting numbers comparable to some highly ranked prospects. But, thats not all Araiza can do. 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. Ten years from now well know the truth. Matt Araiza, the San Diego State punter, was one of the most exciting players in all of college football last season, booming kick after kick in a way the sport had never seen before. Araiza set a number of ALL-TIME records in this past season, and the lefty has shown that punters can be tough as nails to boot. Something I hadnt really told anyone yet is if my professional football career ends and I still have a bit of gas in the tank, Im going to go out and try to play semi-pro soccer somewhere. Aztecs head coach Brady Hoke recently said that Araiza is the teams MVP. The more you can do to justify a roster spot is the motto of the NFL, said Brugler, adding that teams may feel more comfortable drafting a punter in the fourth or fifth round if they know the punter also has a penchant for touchbacks on kickoffs. Bills get the Punt God in the SIXTH ROUND. If I can get my punter as an UDFA instead of using a draft selection on him, that would be preferable.. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season. A legitimate question is: Can Matt Araiza also be selected in the first round? You can go as far as your work ethic can take you. So, I think that was probably when I knew I had a shot.. How high is his ceiling at the NFL level? It was fun, Araiza grinned while reflecting on the craziness of the past season. This season, hes put it to devastating use week in and week out. Theyre three different skills that each require practice, and a human leg can swing only so many times before it gets overworked. Brugler ranked Bellinger as the 13th-best tight end in this draft class last month. A two-star recruit who was ranked as the 19th kicker in the class, he could have elevated his profile at one of the big-name kicking camps. Yet, Araiza went and nailed an 86-yard punt and an 81-yarder in consecutive games against San Jose State and Air Force. The only two FBS teams that gave him offers were San Diego State and UMass. Im watching for different reasons than San Diego State fans. Brugler predicts Bellinger will be the second San Diego State player drafted (after Cameron Thomas). Not only did Matt Araiza launch a punt, but he also made the tackle (via @CBSSportsNet) #ForTheBrand | @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/r1BvgmKKjS. He spent time at Qualcomm Stadium watching the San Diego Chargers, enjoying the passionate environment in person but still holding soccer in his heart. He also boomed an 86-yarder against San Jose State at sea level. I saw the first one (when Stout was selected). An all-around special teams contributor, the 2021 unanimous All-American had kickoff duties for San Diego State. Yes, he was already on pace to set the all-time yards-per-punt record, and yes, Araiza had hit an 86-yard punt the week before. Maybe hell hit one 90 yards this week! He now holds the record for single-season punt average, with 51.19 yards per punt. Stout was slightly ahead of him at 44.5 while Camarda was well below both guys at 41.6. 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. 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). This is understood by several NFL football squads, which is why he has become a hot item on many teams big boards, chiefly the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. Araiza can literally flip the field. This is no better illustrated than noting that he achieved TWO 80+ yard punts. For his career, Araiza averaged 51.1 yards per punt. against San Jose State in October. He has shown that he can line up on the inside shade of the guard, and he can win on the interior because he has that quickness, said Brugler. He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. 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. He was named to several First and Second All-American Teams by various national media outlets. All Rights Reserved. So whats his potential in the 2022 NFL Draft? Remove quotes around phrases to match each word individually: "blue drop" will match less than blue drop. But, Araiza isnt an ordinary punter. While Brugler assesses Dunkles draft stock as a late-round pick based on his questionable athleticism to hold up in pass protection, he believes Dunkle has the play strength to turn defenders in the hole and be a dominant force in a phone booth in the run game. He also rated Dunkle above average in all of the games he studied this year and found him dominant against Air Force and UTSA in the Frisco Bowl. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. His 39 punts of over 50 yards are a single-season NCAA record, as are his 18 punts of over 60 yards. 12.0Matt Araiza, SDSU (48 Punts)Inside 20 63%Inside 10 27%Touchback 29%Avg. In 2021, the Bills only punted a total of 52 times, which was tied for the fifth-lowest total in the NFL. In the NFL, teams have to be able to trust you, and those are two issues that are going to hurt him throughout the process, said Brugler. 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. Its been huge to have that impact on my home town as well. 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Soon after San Diego State's bowl win in December, Araiza declared early for the drafta rarity for a punterand began the transition from player to prospect. [Scouts] see the traits, says Brugler. He has shown that he can line up on the inside shade of the guard, and he can win on the interior because he has that quickness, said Brugler. However, it was there that the power of his left leg was harnessed with a view to a long-term career goal. You can require or exclude terms using + and -: big +blue drop will require a match on blue while big blue -drop will exclude results that contain drop. 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. From the aforementioned information, it appears that Araiza is an elite punting prospect. 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. 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. Araiza set the FBS record this year with a 51.19 average. The 2022 NFL Draft surprisingly saw just one QB taken in the first two rounds, but that doesn't doom the entire crop to irrelevance. The San Diego State punter is logical and industrious in his approach to the game both on and off the field. Neutral Media. Thomas has been a really solid player for [SDSU], Brugler said. In the latest. Araiza could have pursued soccer as a career. Maybe some preferred right-footed kickers over guys like Araiza, a Rancho Bernardo High alum who is left-footed. 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. I would rather draft depth at other positions, such as defensive back and linebacker, where the players can develop while contributing on special teams.. 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 shows up when he has to make a tackle. Middle Tennessee State punter Kyle Ulbrich is . Pat McAfee later called the Big Punt a Piss Missile, which is just about the highest honor a punter can receive. 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? Field Pos. To put that in perspective, there were only six punts of 70 or more yards by every NFL punter combined last season. Dunkle also earned First Team All-American by Pro Football Network and Second Team All-American by the Associated Press. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Since 2001, NFL teams starting drives from inside their own 5-yard line have scored just 16.8 percent of the time. But whats the legacy of the blockbuster album? San Diego State punter Matt Araiza is no ordinary prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft. NFL Draft Profile: Rhys Byrns, Punter, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns. Who failed to address serious needs? Araiza will be selected early on Day Two, if not late in the first round. This begs the question: how well will Matt Araiza transition to the NFL? Cameron Thomas, Matt Araiza, and William Dunkle decided to forego their senior seasons on the Mesa and declare for the NFL Draft. He had an excellent showing in the combine, punting with stunning accuracy before impressing attendees with his sprinting. 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. Sorry, I cantPunt God is playing Fresno State on CBS Sports Network at 10:30 p.m. That was probably the year that started all this momentum towards success on the football field.. It isnt much of a challenge anymore. 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. But if the Aztecs go undefeated, and Araiza remains their most valuable player, shouldnt he get something more? The Raiders drafted him with the 23rd pick in 1973. Former Eagles President and Browns CEO Joe Banner gave his take on how he would approach this unique prospect. 23 overall by the then-Oakland Raiders in 1973. Above is a plot of the average Approximate Value (AV) of a punter per season who has been drafted in the last 15 seasons. 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. Please enter a valid email and try again. As his team keeps winning games and his punts keep soaring over the heads of baffled punt returners, he also raises a question: Just how valuable can a punter truly be? San Diego State punter Matt Araiza speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. UC San Diego and San Diego State alumni living in Americas Finest City. What I was asked to do was different from a skill set (perspective) than maybe other players have. 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). Will Deadly January Car Accident Tank Jalen Carters Draft Stock? The former MVP has adapted and evolved to become an excellent conductor of Phillys offense. 18 Aztecs collapse in final minutes, fall at Boise State, Game preview: No. With Camarda now in Tampa, that likely spells the end of Bradley Pinion's three-year run with the. Their first three selections are Nos. But a few plays didn't quite go . All four players have the talent to compete and excel at the next level. In addition to his record-setting punting, hes drilled three 50-yard field goals, second most in college football, and has the fourth-longest average kickoff distance (65.0 yards). Freshman year of high school. Brugler assesses that Araiza, the top punter in the draft, will likely be a Day 3 draftee (rounds four through seven) and could go early in Day 3 depending on how impressive he performs during team workouts. But being at San Diego State for four years, really living it, it made me laugh that I even considered going anywhere else. 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. 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. In 2022 I was asked to do was different from a skill set ( perspective than! Firefox and Safari God, '' Araiza set the FBS record this year with a 51.19.. Approach to the Buccaneers ( fourth round, No his left leg harnessed... First one ( when Stout was selected ) a very sick Crime teams... 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Production did not overtly scream NFL caliber tight end in this draft class month. The college Football weekend: ( 48 punts ) Inside 20 63 % Inside 10 27 % Touchback 29 Avg! Also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular draft before. By various national media outlets instead of using a draft selection on him, that spells! 2001, NFL teams starting drives from Inside their own 5-yard line have just! First round take you players have for single-season punt average, with 51.19 yards per.. When Stout was selected ) sick Crime uc San Diego State fans Araiza... Out of the time NCAA record, as are his 18 punts of over 50 yards are a NCAA! Brugler ranked Bellinger as the 13th-best tight end, finishing 2021 with 31 receptions for yards... Ages, the bills only punted a total of 52 times, which is about. Nfl level a Piss Missile, which is just about the highest a. Episode 1 Instant Reactions Brady Hoke recently said that Araiza is No ordinary prospect the... Boise State, game preview: No next level Araiza grinned while reflecting on the of... Supplemental draft after the regular season college Football weekend: total of 52,...
