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. Most punters dont achieve that distance in a career. 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.. The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. pic.twitter.com/8W8mTfGHTj. Marc Ross spotlights 10 rookies set up for success in the 2022 NFL season and beyond. So that builds his value to your team especially if you have an older kicker who now you can take the kickoff duty from.. And remember, the Big Punt wasnt even Araizas longest punt of the 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. Weight 200 pounds Although he was the top punting prospect in the draft, Araiza ended up being the third punter selected. I dont think I realized how important it was when I made the decision, Araiza said. Specialists often aren't taken until. All that matters is watching him boom footballs as far as he can. 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. The one thing I dont think I ever realized was the level of popularity. The number of seasons for each punter includes every season where at least half of a season was played. But thats only half-true: Araiza is also statistically the most talented punter prospect of all time. Being close to home as his popularity has grown during this season has also had a tremendous impact on Araiza. According to the NFL Mock Draft Database, the highest he is projected to go is in the fifth round picks 144 through 179. Twenty-nine percent of his punts went for touchbacks. Foot meets ball; fireworks ensue. Of Araiza's 79 punts, 37 went for at least 50 yards; 17 went for 60 yards or more; six went at least 70 yards; and two went for 80-plus yards (no other punter had two punts of 80 yards). Specialists often arent taken until the drafts later rounds. Although it is important to recognize that some of these punters have not had as many seasons as others theyve competed against, some believe a player like Araiza should be one of the top NFL punters immediately upon entering the league. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nfl | pageType: stories | Except, maybe Araiza himself. Wingspan 73 1/8 Their first three selections are Nos. 22 San Diego State 73, New Mexico 71 the last play, Darrion Trammell and the Minnesota job, Lamont Butlers buzzer-beater quiets Lobos, earns SDSU at least a share of Mountain West Conference title, Game preview: No. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. 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. Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career. With the 2022 NFL Draft in the books, Adam Schein breaks down what he loved and loathed from the league's Vegas venture. The crash took place before 3 a.m. on Jan. 15., just hours after the Bulldogs . 16.0. EVT caught up with, Dane Brugler, NFL Draft Analyst for The Athletic. 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. Can Chris Olave revitalize the Saints' aerial attack? Bucky Brooks explores what the future holds for each of the top six quarterbacks selected. He has 28 punts of 50-plus yards; the NCAA record is 32, set in 1994. He's expected to be one of the players chosen in the 2022 NFL draft next month. But, Araiza isnt an ordinary punter. 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. The San Diego State punter is logical and industrious in his approach to the game both on and off the field. against San Jose State in October. Yet, hed only punted in one game prior to this season. Anger averaged 44.2 yards per punt as a senior at Cal; Araiza is outpacing that mark by almost 10 yards per punt. H, es going to make stops at all different points of the field, said Brugler. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. 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. The Mandalorian Season 3 Premiere Is a Slick Reminder of What Makes Mando Work, What We Learned From Testing, and a Bahrain GP Preview. In 2020, he dialed in 71.4%, and in 2021, he achieved 64.3%. 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. We have an 86 yard punt EIGHTY SIX (CC @RKalland) pic.twitter.com/KIi5d3VTTO. Highest Punter Ever Drafted Russell Erxleben was drafted No. When it comes to punters, the bigger surprise is that the Buccaneers took Camarda over Araiza. 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. 40-yard time 4.68 seconds 10-yard split time 1.61 seconds NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. 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. Maybe hell hit one 90 yards this week! San Diego. The Buffalo Bills tweeted out the announcement with a picture of Araiza wearing his red and black Aztecs jersey with now-familiar No. San Diego State punter Matt Araiza has a leg that can boot the football 80 yards. What I was asked to do was different from a skill set (perspective) than maybe other players have. 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. 0 Comment. 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. He spends the evenings with his award-winning legs cast in a recovery boot. The earliest a punter has been selected over that period was the fourth round, the Niners selecting Mitch Wishnowsky. Im watching for different reasons than San Diego State fans. Stout will likely end up replacing the longtime Ravens punter, who turns 40 in August. That was a huge honor, Araiza said. 2 and the words: PUNT GOD! He now holds the record for single-season punt average, with 51.19 yards per punt. Matt Araiza is a certifiable weapon. San Diego State ranks seventh in overall special teams FEI, which takes into account all aspects of special teams. Thomas has been a really solid player for [SDSU], Brugler said. at Araiza should win the Ray Guy Award, which goes to the nations best punter. I have a way bigger fan base because my Moms a teacher in the school district I grew up in. In 2019, he made 84.6% of his kicks. If Im punting five to seven times per game and the disparity in average yards is just a few, this doesnt translate to that significant of a difference overall. But, I knew I had the potential and once I got rocking and rolling, everything would work out as it did.. Even if we factor in returns and touchbacks, Araiza is on pace for history: SDSUs net punting average is 46.7 yards per punt; since the NCAA started including touchbacks in net punting average, no team has been better than 45.0. Could Aaron Rodgers help Christian Watson compete for hardware from the jump in Green Bay? Arm length 30 1/2 Hes also redefining how valuable punters can really be. . Additionally, few of these punters have been widely recognized as the best at their position, even for one season. Nonetheless, the "Punt God" is headed to the AFC East champions. Stout was among three finalists for the 2021 Ray Guy Award that went to Araiza as the nations top collegiate punter. Over the past half-decade, 12 punters have been drafted. February 28, 2023 6:16 pm SI NFL Draft Bible. The Big Punt traveled more than 80. Bringing as much star power as a punter can, Araiza will also bring some questions, though, as he was a three-time All-CIF San Diego Section kicker at Rancho Bernando High before becoming an All-Mountain West Conference standout for the Aztecs. 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. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season. If I can get my punter as an UDFA instead of using a draft selection on him, that would be preferable.. 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. 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. That was a fun year, and also the year I broke the record for field goals. 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., Thomas won the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year afte. 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 Malik Willis develop into a high-end QB for the Titans? Did anyone nail their first three picks more than the Eagles? County of San Diego; State of California; Federal . 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. Show me in the rule book where it says a punter cant win the Heisman! San Diego States Matt Araiza is having the greatest punting season in college football history. The draft was held May 3-4, 1979, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, New York. Araiza will remember that for some time to come, a perceived snub he will use as motivation. That motor really helps him frequently make tackles away from the line of scrimmage that a lot of defensive ends just dont make. Patriots coach Bill Belichick famously fetishizes lefty puntershe probably has a hard drive full of Araiza clips lying around his office. In this graphic, there appears to be nearly no association between where a player was selected and his average AV per season. More than 300 prospects for the . This, surprises me. He now holds the NCAA records for punting average in a season (51.19), punts over 50 yards (39), and punts over 60 yards (18). Araiza can literally flip the field. This is no better illustrated than noting that he achieved TWO 80+ yard punts. He spent time at Qualcomm Stadium watching the San Diego Chargers, enjoying the passionate environment in person but still holding soccer in his heart. 5 or 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which could be the difference between facing a mid-major or power conference opponent, What exactly the Aztecs drew up for Lamont Butler, what got Darrion Trammell going, and keeping an eye on whether Brian Dutchers alma mater needs a new coach, Lamont Butlers 3-pointer at the buzzer beats New Mexico and means the Aztecs can win the Mountain West title outright with one win in their final two games, Everything you need to know about Saturday nights showdown between the Aztecs and Lobos at the Pit in Albuquerque, Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our NewslettersSite Map, Copyright 2023, The San Diego Union-Tribune |. So, what's next for this group -- in 2022 and beyond? Somehow, were both getting what we want. 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