One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State University's Matt Araiza. 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. Soccer was, for sure, the first sport I wanted to play professionally. Obviously, one of the benefits in my decision to pick San Diego State was being close to home. Early success formed a catalyst for what was to come later. I dont think Ive ever seen a ball travel like that before.. Araiza found a home at SDSU, not far from where he grew up. 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. Former Saints punter Thomas Morstead recently explained to the Athletic why that's a concern. No wonder the "punt god" is generating NFL draft buzz. 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. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Dunkle also earned First Team All-American by Pro Football Network and Second Team All-American by the Associated Press. Are the Bears failing Justin Fields? If I can get my punter as an UDFA instead of using a draft selection on him, that would be preferable.. The San Diego, California native has a career kicking percentage of over 73% as the Aztecs kicker. After three balls, he told my dad that I was going to play in the NFL, Araiza says. Marc Ross spotlights 10 rookies set up for success in the 2022 NFL season and beyond. Ray Guy, for whom a college football award is named, was a first-round pick in 1973. Georgia police have secured a warrant to arrest highly-touted draft prospect Jalen Carter, according to a report from Seth Emerson. Cornerback Tayler Hawkins accepted an invite to the Hula Bowl, which takes place on January 15 in Orlando, FL. 0 Comment. And remember, the Big Punt wasnt even Araizas longest punt of the year. Now for the burning question: where will Araiza be drafted in April? 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. What I was asked to do was different from a skill set (perspective) than maybe other players have. Im pretty confident in that regard.. Since NFL defenses vary their fronts constantly, Thomas versatility to play inside or outside will give him a boost to climb teams draft boards. All You Touch and All You See: Dark Side of the Moon at 50. Only two punters since 1982 were drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft; Rohn Stark with the 34th pick in 1982 by the Baltimore Colts and Todd Sauerbrun with the 56th pick in 1995 by the Chicago Bears. Araiza, a. Two additional teammates will look to add to the recent list of secondary players who made the jump to the NFL after excelling at San Diego State. Araiza, who began his career at San Diego State as a kicker, also converted 96 of 97 extra point attempts and 50 of 68 field goal attempts (73.5 percent), with a long of 54. I want my life to be an adventure, Araiza said. Even now, on the precipice of turning professional, there is still the glint of pursuing soccer in the eyes of the San Diego State punter. In 2021, the Bills only punted a total of 52 times, which was tied for the fifth-lowest total in the NFL. 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. 12.0Matt Araiza, SDSU (48 Punts)Inside 20 63%Inside 10 27%Touchback 29%Avg. Anger is the only punter chosen earlier than the fourth round since 2005. If a team is uncomfortable with your holding skills, that could absolutely lead you to dropping in the draft. He believes it is worth taking chances on other positions earlier in the draft rather than a punter. Is MJF the Second Coming of CM Punk? This season, hes put it to devastating use week in and week out. Now that hes finally showing off his best skill, hes immediately emerged as a punting legend. Well, that was just a way onto the football roster. 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. 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. What was surprising even shocking, to some is that two punters were selected Saturday ahead of Araiza. Hes hit 14 punts of at least 60 yards, two shy of the NCAA record for the most in a full seasonand the Aztecs still have at least five games to go. Since 2001, NFL teams starting drives from inside their own 5-yard line have scored just 16.8 percent of the time. And its not because its Jordan Stout. But I know there are other players in the league who are told to just bang the ball as far as they can down the field, and the team is going to cover. 21, 54 and 85. Labeled the "Punt God," Araiza set an NCAA record with a 51.2-yard average on his punts in 2021. Could Aaron Rodgers help Christian Watson compete for hardware from the jump in Green Bay? MORE:NFL Draft prospects 2022: Updated big board of top 150 players, rankings by position. 2023 USFL College Draft: Three Players From Mountain West Selected, San Diego State Football: Three Questions For Spring Practice. Araiza should win the Ray Guy Award, which goes to the nations best punter. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. The San Diego, California native has a. as the Aztecs kicker. Matt Araiza is not your average NFL Draft prospect. !, the nickname Araiza was given during his record-breaking 2021 season. Former Eagles President and Browns CEO Joe Banner gave his take on how he would approach this unique prospect. This seems like a cute questionthe football equivalent of asking someone whether theyd eat the worlds grossest food for a million dollars. 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). Its been a huge honor.. 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. at NFL Draft Profile: Rhys Byrns, Punter, Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns - Football Alliance. This is the most yards per punt a player has ever averaged in a single NCAA season, illustrating his sheer dominance. 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. The junior punter-placekicker from San Diego State is headed to the Buffalo Bills after being chosen Saturday with the first pick in the sixth round of the annual NFL Draft. For his career, Araiza averaged 51.1 yards per punt. The Big Punt traveled more than 80. . SDSU ranks 117th out of 130 teams in offensive SP+, but its winning anyway because it dominates field position and keeps opponents off the scoreboard. However, for all the pomp and ballyhoo surrounding the special teams immortal, he was the third punter selected in the draft, following Penn State's Jordan Stout to the Ravens (fourth round, No. The Mandalorian Season 3 Premiere Is a Slick Reminder of What Makes Mando Work, What We Learned From Testing, and a Bahrain GP Preview. 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. We released a jersey with a company out of San Diego and to see those jerseys in the stands, was crazy to me. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. And opponents often have to go 90 yards against that incredible defense, because of Araizas amazing punts. I know what I bring to the NFL. These sites are not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with with these teams or institutions. 8 min read. Around 20 minutes north of San Diego State University lies North County Soccer Park. 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. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. Overflowing with accolades and a pious sobriquet, San Diego State punter Matt Araiza is going from the sunny skies of Southern California to the wintery winds of Buffalo, as the Bills selected him with the No. Brugler ranked Bellinger as the 13th-best tight end in this draft class last month. This, surprises me. Dunkle also earned First Team All-American by Pro Football Network and Second Team All-American by the Associated Press. The first two punters went off the board in the fourth round with the Ravens selecting Jordan Stout and the Buccaneers taking Jake Camarda. #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/ifbf6FjLa0, Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) April 30, 2022. Please enter a valid email and try again. Kicking? However, it was there that the power of his left leg was harnessed with a view to a long-term career goal. 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. To put that in perspective, there were only six punts of 70 or more yards by every NFL punter combined last season. "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. And, I was the only sophomore on the team at that time. Check if your spelling is correct, or try removing filters. But colleges dont scout kickers based on who makes the most high school field goals; they scout guys who come recommended by kicking coaches, who often assess only players who paid to go to their camps. Araiza had the seasons longest punt, 86 yards against San Jose State. Araiza in 2021 booted 79 punts for 4,044 yards for an NCAA-record 51.18 yards per punt. 2 and the words: PUNT GOD! Matt Araiza, Punt God of the 2022 NFL Draft, The Ray Guy Award caps off an unprecedented season, Staying at home for college, and making an impact on San Diego, Next Page: From struggles to NFL Draft ascension. EVT caught up with Dane Brugler, NFL Draft Analyst for The Athletic, to gain some insight on how teams are evaluating the Aztecs enrollees as the draft process is set to begin. Waring caught 31 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns, almost identical to Bellingers final season. I recognize that my train of thought may be different from the rest of the league. He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs, setting the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season record for average punt yardage as a junior. Matt Araiza knew the Big Punt was different. At some positions, NFL teams can struggle to identify the best players. Kittle trains in the offseason in Nashville, Tennessee, and will work SDSUs tight end there. Their first three selections are Nos. He was being 100 percent serious, and hes 100 percent correct. Jalen Carter Named Subject of Arrest Warrant After Fatal Crash That Killed Georgia Teammate, Seattle Seahawks 2023 NFL Draft Prospects To Target at the NFL Combine Include Brian Branch, Nolan Smith, 2023 NFL Draft Big Board: Top 25 Prospects Heading Into NFL Combine Include Jalen Carter, Brian Branch, and Bijan Robinson, Boston Colleges Jaiden Woodbey Is Less Tweener, More Swiss Army Knife. 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. It was a special team, and a special group I got to be a part of. This punter would make the average opponent worse than the 2021 Jets, who score on 22.1 percent of their drives. His worse pass-blocking grade came the next week against Towson, registering a 34.3 grade on 26 passing opportunities. The Aztecs are 7-0 and ranked 21st in the AP poll, with two wins over Pac-12 opponents. In 2019, he made 84.6% of his kicks. A legitimate question is: Can Matt Araiza also be selected in the first round? Punts in between the 30s (2021 only):Jordan Stout, Penn State (36 Punts)Inside 20 83%Inside 10 53%Touchback 6%Average Field Pos. Zac Al-Khateeb is a content producer for The Sporting News. The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. In 2015, he broke the San Diego sectional record for field goals in a single season, Rancho Bernardo won a state championship, and he was named to the MaxPreps sophomore All-American team. In his Mock Draft 1.0 released on November 30, 2021, Brugler slotted Thomas to the Dallas Cowboys with the 25th pick of the first round, adding, Thomas has been nearly unblockable this season for the Aztecs, currently leading college football with 72 pressures.. Special teams coaches will want to see his mechanics, how quick hes able to transition, how the ball comes off his leg, the power that he has in person. He ran track as an underclassman at Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, and recently told the Union-Tribune that the hurdles helped his footwork on punting. Matt Araiza is a certifiable weapon. Brugler praised Thomas lateral quickness and constant effort to get to the ball. Ray Guy is the only punter to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Behind guard Max Rices 12 straight points at the end, host Broncos score the games final 14 in the final five minutes to stun Aztecs, Stats and storylines to watch on Tuesday night, when San Diego State takes on Boise State at ExtraMile Arena, San Diego State sits on the cusp of a No. Ray Guy, the only punter in the Hall of Fame, was drafted No. Then theres his NFL potential: Just how high will Araiza be drafted? I knew with punting, I was only a couple of adjustments away from what I did this last year. Watch where Araiza ends up on this play! 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. But how have other drafted punters panned out in the NFL? Patriots coach Bill Belichick famously fetishizes lefty puntershe probably has a hard drive full of Araiza clips lying around his office. But the answer is simple: yes. His older brother has long thought so. He is also highly accurate as a punter, with 37 of his 79 punts (46.8%) landing inside the opponents 20-yard line in 2021 against just 15 touchbacks. Additionally, few of these punters have been widely recognized as the best at their position, even for one season. Though the Bills are hardly known for punting, on the rare occasions they do, Araiza will be expected to tip the field and also be a weapon on kickoffs (he had 62 touchbacks in 73 kickoffs). When Araiza was younger, his brother took him out to a local field with some footballs and let him kick away. San Diego State Aztecs punter Matt Araiza has been the talk of the college football universe this season, with his ridiculous distance and precision playing a major role in San Diego State's victories. Anger averaged 44.2 yards per punt as a senior at Cal; Araiza is outpacing that mark by almost 10 yards per punt. There will be a big red circle on that day on my calendar. The first specialist chosen was LSU kicker Cade York, who went to Cleveland in the fourth round, six picks before Stout was taken. Is Brad Holmes' enthusiastic drafting paying dividends for the Lions? Stout was among three finalists for the 2021 Ray Guy Award that went to Araiza as the nations top collegiate punter. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC North team. But a few plays didn't quite go . But its no secret that he enjoys punting the most. Yet, Araiza went and nailed an 86-yard punt and an 81-yarder in consecutive games against San Jose State and Air Force. UC San Diego and San Diego State alumni living in Americas Finest City. Averaging 51.19 yards per punt, Araiza is the all-time single-season average punt distance leader. What happened to the Giants after Round 1? Will Deadly January Car Accident Tank Jalen Carters Draft Stock? 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. By Ted McGovern 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. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Based on net punting averages, you can usually find UDFAs who will rank above average at the position in directional punting and hang time.. The relationship is not close to being statistically significant here, and the R-squared value is almost negligible. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the 2021 Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football. That shows up when he has to make a tackle. Several other three-round mock drafts have slotted Thomas from the first round to not listed. That motor really helps him frequently make tackles away from the line of scrimmage that a lot of defensive ends just dont make. Pat McAfee, all that stuff was hilarious, seeing some of the memes were really funny, the nicknames, all that stuff. After the first game, I was kinda starting to visualize that. The former San Diego State punter didn't get selected until the Bills made him the first pick of the sixth round (180th overall). Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. How high is his ceiling at the NFL level? But the Celtics Brogdon is mounting a well-rounded campaign that hearkens back to some of the earliest Sixth Men. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 2022 Bowman Draft Paper Base #BD-73 Jakob Marsee - San Diego Padres at the best online prices at eBay! In the fourth round, Baltimore selected Penn State Punter Jordan Stout with the 130th overall pick. 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