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. pic.twitter.com/8W8mTfGHTj. Of the 27 punters drafted in the past 15 seasons, just six of these players have made a Pro Bowl these six punters only made one Pro Bowl each. 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. His broad jump of 10 1 was better than many who are projected to be high draft selections, including Aidan Hutchinson, David Bell, Isaiah Spiller, Brian Robinson Jr., and Trey McBride. It wasn't surprising that San Diego State punter Matt Araiza lasted until the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, where the Buffalo Bills chose Araiza. Arm length 30 1/2 Former Eagles President and Browns CEO Joe Banner gave his take on how he would approach this unique prospect. There are times where he gets crossed up in pass protection, and his feet get a little stuck in the mud, something Brugler saw on tape against Utah and Arizona, two Power 5 opponents the Aztecs played this year. This is the most yards per punt a player has ever averaged in a single NCAA season, illustrating his sheer dominance. As mentioned before, Araiza is incredibly versatile and can help the special teams unit in an impactful way. Sorry, I cantPunt God is playing Fresno State on CBS Sports Network at 10:30 p.m. Stout was one of the top punters in this year's class and it wasn't a total shocker to see him become the first punter taken. The Aztecs are 7-0 and have the nation's 5th-ranked defense with a potent rushing offense. So, Im going to try and do it as long as possible.. The current Ray Guy Award winner is no stranger to accolades. In the past 22 years, there have been several third-round selections at punter. Did the Packers blow it by once again passing on the receiver position in Round 1? Araiza found a home at SDSU, not far from where he grew up. No one in our family had control over that. The one thing I dont think I ever realized was the level of popularity. 2023 USFL College Draft: Three Players From Mountain West Selected, San Diego State Football: Three Questions For Spring Practice. One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State Universitys Matt Araiza. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC South team. Hes big. 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. "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. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the 2021 Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football. The Raiders drafted him with the 23rd pick in 1973. A legitimate question is: Can Matt Araiza also be selected in the first round? 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. Araiza set a school record for made field goals in a season and ranked sixth in the nation in touchback percentage in 2019. But the biggest question about Harden remainsand it wont be answered until the playoffs. The legend of the Punt God might have been born on Brookshire Street, but it truly began at the soccer park on 14530 Espola Road. 16.0. https://t.co/mIr2tYt8LT. H, es going to make stops at all different points of the field, said Brugler. Only one punter, Pressley Harvin III, was drafted last year, taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 254th pick (7th round). Dunkle declared for the NFL Draft after finishing the season with a 98.8 run-blocking grade, the highest by an offensive lineman since Pro Football Focus (PFF) began tracking the metric. Pro Football Network strives to passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and exceptional football content. The Buffalo Bills held the first overall pick in the draft, acquired from the San Francisco 49ers in the trade which sent O. J. Simpson to his hometown team. Thomas will have a chance to separate himself from other edge rushers in his tier as the draft process unfolds with the combine and private team workouts to prove he belongs in one of the top 32 spots., A redshirt junior entering this season, Thomas quickly showed scouts he is a pro prospect with his play to start the season. The Punter That Was Promised has arrivedwell be seeing his highlights for years to come. 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. Hes going to make stops at all different points of the field, said Brugler. In 2021, the Bills only punted a total of 52 times, which was tied for the fifth-lowest total in the NFL. Want to hang out Saturday night? It was fun, Araiza grinned while reflecting on the craziness of the past season. 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. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. Except, maybe Araiza himself. An all-around special teams contributor, the 2021 unanimous All-American had kickoff duties for San Diego State. , our 15th-highest-ranked prospect. 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. 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. What was surprising even shocking, to some is that two punters were selected Saturday ahead of Araiza. Theyre three different skills that each require practice, and a human leg can swing only so many times before it gets overworked. San Diego State ranks seventh in overall special teams FEI, which takes into account all aspects of special teams. 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. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. 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The San Diego State punter was better than Camarda in almost every metric last season. But, thats not all Araiza can do. Hang time was the primary concern for Araiza in the weeks and months leading up to the draft. Anger is the only punter chosen earlier than the fourth round since 2005. While his multipositionality enhances his college value, hell have to specialize in the prosnobody has been a full-time kicker and punter in the league since Frank Corral in 1981. Their first three selections are Nos. 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). !, the nickname Araiza was given during his record-breaking 2021 season. While a lot of kids growing up dream of playing in the NFL, at that time it wasnt even a consideration for Araiza. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. As for being the third punter drafted? 12.0Matt Araiza, SDSU (48 Punts)Inside 20 63%Inside 10 27%Touchback 29%Avg. Coach Marwan Maalouf, currently coaching special teams at the University of Miami and longtime NFL special teams coach, thinks highly of Araiza. Thomas will have a chance to separate himself from other edge rushers in his tier as the draft process unfolds with the combine and private team workouts to prove he belongs in one of the top 32 spots., A redshirt junior entering this season, Thomas quickly showed scouts he is a pro prospect with his play to start the season. Labeled the "Punt God," Araiza set an NCAA record with a 51.2-yard average on his punts in 2021. The Aztecs Punt God gained a national following for his record-setting exploits last season. 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. 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. According to the NFL Mock Draft Database, the highest he is projected to go is in the fifth round picks 144 through 179. [Scouts] see the traits, says Brugler. Araiza in 2021 booted 79 punts for 4,044 yards for an NCAA-record 51.18 yards per punt. However, his pass-blocking steadily improved throughout the final ten games of the season, and he finished with a 73.3 pass-blocking grade. Ill kind of get to squash that whole warm-weather kicker thing.. The signing bonus in that spot last year was $240,152. Since 2001, NFL teams starting drives from inside their own 5-yard line have scored just 16.8 percent of the time. At the time, a young Araiza couldnt have imagined becoming a national punting icon. The only other times it happened came in 1993 and 2007. San Diego State punter Matt Araiza has created a loyal following with his ridiculously strong leg. Araiza was chosen with the first pick in the sixth round, the 180th pick overall. After Stouts selection was announced, an ESPN broadcaster said: Not many things surprise me in the draft because you expect unpredictable things. EVT caught up with, Dane Brugler, NFL Draft Analyst for The Athletic. This seems like a cute questionthe football equivalent of asking someone whether theyd eat the worlds grossest food for a million dollars. Its a loaded defensive end class, Brugler said. 2:39 pm ET. Welcome to Buffalo, @Matt_Araiza! Whats legacy, anyway? San Diego States Matt Araiza is having the greatest punting season in college football history. He was named to several First and Second All-American Teams by various national media outlets. I loved European football, soccer. 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. Its been huge to have that impact on my home town as well. Araiza shattered the all-time record of 32 punts of 50 or more yards in a single season, by achieving 39. Araiza is ready and raring to go wherever the next step on his journey takes him. Kittle trains in the offseason in Nashville, Tennessee, and will work SDSUs tight end there. This begs the question: how well will Matt Araiza transition to the NFL? Three juniors, all local San Diego kids, were named to the Associated Press All-American Teams. Araiza set an NCAA record with a 51.19-yard punting average boosted by punts of 86 and 81 yards as well as a record 39 punts of 50-plus yards and 18 punts of 60-plus yards. 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