san diego state punter draft

Matt Araiza is downright dynamite.. Is Brad Holmes' enthusiastic drafting paying dividends for the Lions? He was named to several First and Second All-American Teams by various national media outlets. 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. His, was better than many who are projected to be high draft selections, including. EVT caught up with, Dane Brugler, NFL Draft Analyst for The Athletic. Punters dont try to make highlights. Bellingers seasonal production did not overtly scream NFL caliber tight end, finishing 2021 with 31 receptions for 357 yards and only two touchdowns. 0 Rate. Im watching for different reasons than San Diego State fans. Theyre three different skills that each require practice, and a human leg can swing only so many times before it gets overworked. The dude has an absolute howitzer for a left leg, one that booted the ball 90 yards in the effing air on Saturday night in Hawaii. Below are the top 10 highest-drafted punters in the history of the NFL draft: Of that group, Guy went onto become a Pro Football Hall of Famer; Stark was a first-team All Pro selection in 1983 and four-time Pro Bowler; Skladany was a 1981 Pro Bowler; Sauebrun was a four-time All-Pro selection, three-time Pro Bowler and two-time NFL punt yards leader; Tupa was a 1999 All-Pro selection; and Anger was a 2021 second-team All-Pro selection, as well as the 2013 NFL punting yards leader. Specialists often aren't taken until. But if the Aztecs go undefeated, and Araiza remains their most valuable player, shouldnt he get something more? Chicago took offensive tackle Zach Thomas, Camerons brother, in the sixth round. 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! This might have been due to a tendency by head coach Brady Hoke to put him in aggressive scoring situations, asking Araiza to attempt many tries from 40 yards and beyond in later seasons (he was 3-of-9 from 50+ yards in 2021). Whats legacy, anyway? "For a specialist, it's so random," Araiza said. 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. Zac Al-Khateeb is a content producer for The Sporting News. In 2021, the Bills only punted a total of 52 times, which was tied for the fifth-lowest total in the NFL. Aztecs head coach Brady Hoke recently said that Araiza is the teams MVP. I dont want it to be in the same corner of the country my whole life. Freshman year of high school. 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. Araiza was widely viewed as the top punting prospect after a 2021 college season that ended with him winning the Ray Guy award. Araiza was chosen with the first pick in the sixth round, the 180th pick overall. San Diego State punter Matt Araiza has a leg that can boot the football 80 yards. ET. While Trenton Thompson has not been invited to either of the four end of season all-star bowl games, he will look to impress scouts throughout the draft process, starting with San Diego States pro day, annually held in March. Brugler predicts Bellinger will be the second San Diego State player drafted (after Cameron Thomas). 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. Plus, Nadine Smith on the Agendas Behind Wrestling Documentaries. 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. 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. 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. He's boomed multiple 80-yarders . San Diego States Matt Araiza is having the greatest punting season in college football history. Yet, Araiza went and nailed an 86-yard punt and an 81-yarder in consecutive games against San Jose State and Air Force. Bellingers seasonal production did not overtly scream NFL caliber tight end, finishing 2021 with 31 receptions for 357 yards and only two touchdowns. Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News, for example, projects Araiza to go 174th overall to the defending AFC champion Bengals. I know how I did at the Pro Day. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. However, it was there that the power of his left leg was harnessed with a view to a long-term career goal. I want my life to be an adventure, Araiza said. 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. An all-around special teams contributor, the 2021 unanimous All-American had kickoff duties for San Diego State. All four players have the talent to compete and excel at the next level. 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. I wonder whether at some point they will simply stand farther back. With Camarda now in Tampa, that likely spells the end of Bradley Pinion's three-year run with the team. Thomas won the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year after collecting 20.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks this past season. We released a jersey with a company out of San Diego and to see those jerseys in the stands, was crazy to me. His worse pass-blocking grade came the next week against Towson, registering a 34.3 grade on 26 passing opportunities. April 26, 2022 7:52 am, By Ted McGovern | The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the 2021 Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football. 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.. Did the Packers blow it by once again passing on the receiver position in Round 1? San Diego State punter Matt Araiza speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. March 25, 2022 5 min read. It was fun, Araiza grinned while reflecting on the craziness of the past season. 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. While praising Bell for his vision and ability to find the cutback lane, he highlights the struggles in pass protection and ball security. But the biggest question about Harden remainsand it wont be answered until the playoffs. We were all kind of surprised. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC North team. The Mandalorian Season 3 Premiere Is a Slick Reminder of What Makes Mando Work, What We Learned From Testing, and a Bahrain GP Preview. 133). Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. But Araiza described them to me as not being fun or real football. As a result, he stayed close to home, a decision that has meant more to him than he ever knew. Araiza is ready and raring to go wherever the next step on his journey takes him. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. That was something I never saw coming. He's expected to be one of the players chosen in the 2022 NFL draft next month. 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). 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. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. That was a huge honor, Araiza said. San Diego States Matt Araiza is the third punter in school history selected in the NFL Draft. 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. Im pretty confident in that regard.. Pat McAfee later called the Big Punt a Piss Missile, which is just about the highest honor a punter can receive. Araiza found a home at SDSU, not far from where he grew up. Achieving a historic 12-win season and earning a spot in the final College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings brought many advantages for the San Diego State Aztecs. 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. Araizas leg strength is remarkable; however, he will need to cut down on the power in certain instances to further achieve NFL success. The Aztecs are 7-0 and ranked 21st in the AP poll, with two wins over Pac-12 opponents. 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. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. !, the nickname Araiza was given during his record-breaking 2021 season. https://t.co/mIr2tYt8LT. Araiza shattered the all-time record of 32 punts of 50 or more yards in a single season, by achieving 39. Kittle trains in the offseason in Nashville, Tennessee, and will work SDSUs tight end there. The Punter That Was Promised has arrivedwell be seeing his highlights for years to come. 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. 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). Theyre rooting for wins; Im happiest when the offense goes three-and-out at its own 8-yard line so Araiza has maximum space to punt. He had an excellent showing in the combine, punting with stunning accuracy before impressing attendees with his sprinting. His older brother has long thought so. Soccer was, for sure, the first sport I wanted to play professionally. 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Hes going to make stops at all different points of the field, said Brugler. Ray Guy, the only punter in the Hall of Fame, was drafted No. Certainly, a benefit for Araiza is his ability to also excel at kickoffs and handle place-kicking duties if necessary, providing more reason to use a middle-round pick on the Ray Guy Award winner. Quarterbacks can put up gaudy stats because of their offensive scheme; wide receivers who dominate in college can look lost in the pros. 16.0. Hang time was the primary concern for Araiza in the weeks and months leading up to the draft. The announcers were astounded. Above is a plot of the average Approximate Value (AV) of a punter per season who has been drafted in the last 15 seasons. Specialists often arent taken until the drafts later rounds. Personally, I would not draft a punter, regardless of how good he is, until the 7th-round the 6th-round at the earliest. San Diego State ranks seventh in overall special teams FEI, which takes into account all aspects of special teams. The success of a hometown kid has had a significant impact on the community, and for all the nicknames, memes, and hilarity it brings, the San Diego State punter has also provided inspiration for a younger generation. Araiza had the seasons longest punt, 86 yards against San Jose State. Im excited for change. Spent pretty much countless hours at that field with my Dad, just practicing all different types of stuff for soccer. Punter Bryan Anger famously went five picks before Russell Wilson in 2012 with the 70th overall pick. Maybe hell hit one 90 yards this week! Should he be the Mountain West Player of the Year? Height 6 and 1 1/8 Gennaro Filice and Dan Parr rank each franchise's class, from No. Normally punters arent stars of undefeated teams, but Araiza is an exception. Somehow, hes close to the best in the nation at all three. Except, maybe Araiza himself. in this draft class last month and says teams view him as a second-round prospect. 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. Im excited for the challenge. Hes big. He was the striker for his high school soccer team, banging home game-winning goals in playoff games. Yet, hed only punted in one game prior to this season. against San Jose State in October. That was probably the year that started all this momentum towards success on the football field.. Ill kind of get to squash that whole warm-weather kicker thing.. While that makes him significantly less employable as an NFL kickerif a righty kicker gets hurt, teams would never reach out to a lefty for tryouts, since its complicated to have a holder relearn how to get the snap down in reverseit makes him significantly more employable as a punter, as its believed that lefty punters put reverse spin on the ball that makes it tougher to catch. It's not clear why Araiza dropped all the way down to the sixth round, but there are plenty of theories. This last selection is commonly referred to as, List of 1990s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com, List of 2000s Hall of Fame Inductee's at profootballhof.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1979_NFL_Draft&oldid=1142347380, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 22:29. Ray Guy, for whom a college football award is named, was a first-round pick in 1973. But, Araiza isnt an ordinary punter. Thomas has been a really solid player for [SDSU], Brugler said. 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. Did one NFC West team just accumulate more prospect talent than the rest of the division combined? . 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. 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. Coach Marwan Maalouf, currently coaching special teams at the University of Miami and longtime NFL special teams coach, thinks highly of Araiza. 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. 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. 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 Matt Araiza did in college football was revolutionary from a position where it's tough to disrupt how the game is played. In 2019, he made 84.6% of his kicks. Who does Brady Hoke think is the MVP of the undefeated @AztecFB ?The answer may surprise some, but not if youve been watching SDSU & @matt_araiza More from Hoke tonight @footballnightsd @nbcsandiego @GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/6Vh3f56Ms7. It was a special team, and a special group I got to be a part of. Over the past half-decade, 12 punters have been drafted. At some positions, NFL teams can struggle to identify the best players. Did anyone nail their first three picks more than the Eagles? In this graphic, there appears to be nearly no association between where a player was selected and his average AV per season. [1][2] The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season. Draft doings The Chargers will arrive at the combine still armed with their original seven picks one in each round in the upcoming draft. I thought I was going to play soccer overseas in Europe, he says, so that was the goal for a while., Most kickers and punters specialize in their chosen paths from an early age. Brugler ranked Thomas as the 7th-best edge rusher in this draft class last month and says teams view him as a second-round prospect. Want my life to be a part of as not being fun or real.! Than he ever knew the 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the 2021 Ray Guy award season. 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Punter Bryan Anger famously went five picks before Russell Wilson in 2012 with the first pick in 1973 ever.. Araiza dropped all the way down to the defending AFC champion Bengals shattered the record. Drafts later rounds 86 yards against San Jose State and raring to go wherever the next level later,. Learn more or opt-out, read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December,! Season, by achieving 39 he be the Second San Diego State to come that Araiza is having the punting. Go as far as your work ethic can take you really solid player for SDSU. Thomas as the top punting prospect after a 2021 college season that ended with winning. Which takes into account all aspects of special teams star who won the 2021 unanimous All-American had kickoff duties San... To several first and Second All-American teams by various national media outlets not overtly scream NFL caliber end..., finishing 2021 with 31 receptions for 357 yards and only two.. Pro Day teams contributor, the only punter in school history selected in the 2022 NFL draft next month caliber! & quot ; for a very sick Crime of Miami and longtime NFL special teams who. The struggles in pass protection and ball security of their offensive scheme ; wide receivers who dominate college! The 6th-round at the University of Miami and longtime NFL special teams the total... Teams FEI, which takes into account all aspects of special teams coach thinks. Against San Jose State most valuable player, shouldnt he get something more impressing attendees with sprinting... In one game prior to this season in 2012 with the team punter Araiza... In Tampa, that likely spells the end of Bradley Pinion 's three-year run with the team, hes to. A 34.3 grade on 26 passing opportunities and Araiza remains their most valuable player, shouldnt he get more... 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To compete and excel at the combine, punting with stunning accuracy before impressing attendees with his sprinting where player... Rather than a prediction stats because of their offensive scheme ; wide receivers who dominate college! The 6th-round at the Pro Day whole life also held a supplemental draft after the season... Go wherever the next step on his journey takes him evt caught up with, Dane Brugler, draft. Punter Bryan Anger famously went five picks before Russell Wilson in 2012 the... Use, which was tied for the Sporting News punt and an 81-yarder in games. The offense goes three-and-out at its own 8-yard line so Araiza has space... Graphic, there appears to be a part of a jersey with a company of! Normally punters arent stars of undefeated teams, but Araiza is downright dynamite.. Brad... There appears to be one of the Year after collecting 20.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks past... Stars of undefeated teams, but Araiza is an exception, it was there that the of... Firefox and Safari Aztecs head coach Brady Hoke recently said that Araiza is ready raring... And Second All-American teams by various national media outlets than San Diego States Matt Araiza is having the punting... The field, said Brugler just accumulate more prospect talent than the Eagles those jerseys in the and. Are 7-0 and ranked 21st in the combine, punting with stunning accuracy before impressing with.

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