A kicker or punter has never finished in the top 10 of Heisman Trophy voting, but thats just because they fashioned the statue after a guy running instead of a guy punting. Anger is the only punter chosen earlier than the fourth round since 2005. 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. When I looked up at that ball, it was crazy, Araiza says. Araizas performances have been record-setting. Ray Guy is the only punter to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Diverse team following across multiple sports leagues, but Aztecs come first in college athletics. Araiza doesnt just punt, though: He was the Aztecs place kicker before taking on double duty. The NCAA record holder is extremely familiar with breaking records. Bellinger will have a massive opportunity to show teams that he should be drafted in the top 100 like his former tight end mate, starting with the Senior Bowl and then the NFL Combine. So, Im going to try and do it as long as possible.. Not only has he shown his prowess as a punter, but Coach Maalouf adds he kicked off as well and was good at it. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. 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. Araiza had the seasons longest punt, 86 yards against San Jose State. Araiza is the highest drafted punter in program history and third Aztec punter selected in the NFL Draft, following Mike Saxon in 1984 (300th pick) and Wayne Ross in 1988 (315th pick). Those two picks were also somewhat surprising, if only because you almost never see two punters get taken that early With Stout going at 130th overall and Camarda going three picks later, this year marked just the third time since 1993 that two punters were taken before the end of the fourth round. Apparently, NFL scouts focused their attention on other punters as well. In 2020, he dialed in 71.4%, and in 2021, he achieved 64.3%. The Aztecs are 7-0 and have the nation's 5th-ranked defense with a potent rushing offense. Araiza is a punter by positional designation only - he also kicks field goals and takes San Diego State's kickoffs. Is Araiza the Punter That Was Promised? According to PFF, Araiza had the eighth-lowest kickoff return percentage in the country at less than 15%. He's hit more 60-yard punts this year than anyone ever. Will the Cowboys' big gamble pay off? The only two FBS teams that gave him offers were San Diego State and UMass. It's not clear why Araiza dropped all the way down to the sixth round, but there are plenty of theories. These traits make for an incredibly impressive athlete, but how would he test at the NFL Combine? The first two punters went off the board in the fourth round with the Ravens selecting Jordan Stout and the Buccaneers taking Jake Camarda. Gennaro Filice and Dan Parr rank each franchise's class, from No. Not only did Matt Araiza launch a punt, but he also made the tackle (via @CBSSportsNet) #ForTheBrand | @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/r1BvgmKKjS. During his high school career, he set the CIF section record for field goals and was named the CIF Kicker of the Year three times. Unlike other positions, not many teams are looking to add a rookie punter to their team, let alone willing to draft a punter with a precious draft pick. Punts in between the 30s (2021 only):Jordan Stout, Penn State (36 Punts)Inside 20 83%Inside 10 53%Touchback 6%Average Field Pos. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) By . I know how I did at the Pro Day. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the 2021 Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football. What I was asked to do was different from a skill set (perspective) than maybe other players have. Wingspan 73 1/8 After three balls, he told my dad that I was going to play in the NFL, Araiza says. The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. I knew I just had to figure out a few things, dial in a few things, get some consistency and adjust to the college operation time. Now that hes finally showing off his best skill, hes immediately emerged as a punting legend. 1 to 32. He has 28 punts of 50-plus yards; the NCAA record is 32, set in 1994. 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. 0 Comment. One of the most important punting stats is net punting average and Araiza finished the year at 44.3, which ranked sixth in the country. By submitting your email, you agree to our. 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. Matt Araiza is one of the more fascinating prospects of the 2022 NFL Draft which is saying something, considering he's a punter. Want to hang out Saturday night? All Rights Reserved. Araiza is ready and raring to go wherever the next step on his journey takes him. 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. Araiza was widely viewed as the top punting prospect after a 2021 college season that ended with him winning the Ray Guy award. Hes a talented guy who should help with winning the field position category., However, just like any other special teams prospect, Coach Maalouf believes the San Diego State product should be worked out by coaches. In an interview earlier this month, Araiza told The San Diego Union-Tribune that in practice he sometimes boots the ball 68 yards in the air. I never saw that coming. Araiza will remember that for some time to come, a perceived snub he will use as motivation. 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. He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. 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. Reacting to the pick, NFL Network broadcaster Rich Eisen said: Let me tell you something, Buffalo Bills fans, you should be very, very happy. Matt Araiza knew the Big Punt was different. We released a jersey with a company out of San Diego and to see those jerseys in the stands, was crazy to me. Above is a plot of the average. In the past 22 years, there have been several third-round selections at punter. Thomas won the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year after collecting 20.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks this past season. Check if your spelling is correct, or try removing filters. Hang time was the primary concern for Araiza in the weeks and months leading up to the draft. Dan Hanzus takes stock of the NFL hierarchy with his post-draft Power Rankings. Kittle trains in the offseason in Nashville, Tennessee, and will work SDSUs tight end there. Punting you go out there and you swing as hard as you want.. !, the nickname Araiza was given during his record-breaking 2021 season. The 2022 NFL Draft is in the rearview. 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. But that's only half-true: Araiza is also statistically the most talented punter prospect of all time. For context, two Pro Bowl punters are named each year, leaving about an 20% clip of the Pro Bowl punters in the last 15 seasons being players who were drafted. The man they call 'Punt God' is going to be the first punter off of the board in the upcoming draft and could go as early as Day 2. But Matt didnt have dreams of special teams stardom. I always knew I could have that level of success, he said. His 32 vertical jump was the same as Chris Olave, our 15th-highest-ranked prospect. Neutral Media. against San Jose State in October. Brugler praised Thomas lateral quickness and constant effort to get to the ball. Above is a plot of the average Approximate Value (AV) of a punter per season who has been drafted in the last 15 seasons. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC South team. UC San Diego and San Diego State alumni living in Americas Finest City. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the. Its the most Aztecs drafted since four were taken in 2012. 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. That was probably the year that started all this momentum towards success on the football field.. Hes a smooth athlete. 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. 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. Weight 200 pounds They are drafting you based on what they think you will do.. I remember talking to my friends and family about it really early on, How cool would it be to even just be a finalist? It was a cool progression to make, visualizing it in the beginning and then it becoming a reality was an honor.. That was a huge honor, Araiza said. 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 A&M's Braden Mann in 2018. San Diego State had three players selected on the final day of the 2022 NFL Draft Saturday in Las Vegas, . Bills get the Punt God in the SIXTH ROUND. Will Aidan Hutchinson supercharge the Lions' pass rush? In the past 25 years, the highest-drafted punter was Bryan Anger, selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 70th pick in the 3rd round. Please enter a valid email and try again. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC East team. Middle Tennessee State punter Kyle Ulbrich is . As for Araiza, the Bills could potentially be getting a steal with their selection of the player known as "Punt God.". I know what Im going to bring to the Bills, and Id rather be on my new team than any other team in the NFL, so lets ride. Hes averaging 54.0 yards per punt, which would smash the NCAA and NFL records51.0 in college and 51.4 in the NFL, the latter set by Slingin Sammy Baugh in 1940. He also boomed an 86-yarder against San Jose State at sea level. Ill kind of get to squash that whole warm-weather kicker thing.. All four players have the talent to compete and excel at the next level. He spends the evenings with his award-winning legs cast in a recovery boot. Bellinger recently signed with JB Sports, Inc., the same agency that represents San Francisco 49ers tight end, George Kittle. Nonetheless, the "Punt God" is headed to the AFC East champions. . Then theres his NFL potential: Just how high will Araiza be drafted? So that builds his value to your team especially if you have an older kicker who now you can take the kickoff duty from.. Specialists often aren't taken until. Araiza found a home at SDSU, not far from where he grew up. The San Diego State punter was better than Camarda in almost every metric last season. We have a ton of connections and basically a ton of people rooting for me on Saturdays which was really fun.. Should he be the Mountain West Player of the Year? These were certified piss missiles not to be confused with lucky bounces and rolls. 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. In the NFL, only two players can release, so additional time to get downfield is significant. 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. While a lot of kids growing up dream of playing in the NFL, at that time it wasnt even a consideration for Araiza. There has been one 80-plus-yard punt in the NFL in 2021, by Green Bays Corey Bojorquez. 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. to gain some insight on how teams are evaluating the Aztecs enrollees as the draft process is set to begin. But, I knew I had the potential and once I got rocking and rolling, everything would work out as it did.. It wasnt surprising that San Diego State punter Matt Araiza lasted until the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, where the Buffalo Bills chose Araiza. Somehow, were both getting what we want. Personally, I would not draft a punter, regardless of how good he is, until the 7th-round the 6th-round at the earliest. 21 UCLA women top ASU in OT in Pac 12 opener 81-70, Irving senses Mavs urgency in new star pairing with Doncic. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC North team. San Diego State punter Matt Araiza has a leg that can boot the football 80 yards. 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