published this week, Ryan Wilson has the Chargers drafting Thomas with the 20th pick in the first round. Araiza has a cannon for a leg, shown with his. The crash took place before 3 a.m. on Jan. 15., just hours after the Bulldogs . !, the nickname Araiza was given during his record-breaking 2021 season. So, earning their respect and earning their trust, and becoming a part of that team was a big accomplishment for me. In the NFL, only two players can release, so additional time to get downfield is significant. His big brother saw it on a random field in San Diego, and he set records as soon as he started to kick in high school and college. 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. 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. Soon after San Diego State's bowl win in December, Araiza declared early for the drafta rarity for a punterand began the transition from player to prospect. 0. Will another aggressive draft by Mickey Loomis pay off for the Saints? However, his pass-blocking steadily improved throughout the final ten games of the season, and he finished with a 73.3 pass-blocking grade. 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. 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. 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. Chad Reuter identifies 12 rookies picked on Day 3 of the NFL draft who could be in line for starter snaps in Year 1. Who will take advantage of potential opportunities? Where most players have a left leg, the San Diego product has what can only be described as a cannon. When it comes to punters, the bigger surprise is that the Buccaneers took Camarda over Araiza. At the time, a young Araiza couldnt have imagined becoming a national punting icon. 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 |. "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 2022 NFL Draft is in the rearview. 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. Surely there's some NFL team that takes him earlier than you would expect. But the answer is simple: yes. The Buffalo Bills selected San Diego State punter Matt Araiza with the first pick of the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft on Saturday. In the fourth round, Baltimore selected Penn State Punter Jordan Stout with the 130th overall pick. Pat McAfee later called the Big Punt a Piss Missile, which is just about the highest honor a punter can receive. Araiza shattered the all-time record of 32 punts of 50 or more yards in a single season, by achieving 39. He was being 100 percent serious, and hes 100 percent correct. Araiza served as SDSU's placekicker while he was in college, so he's never had to hold. National Championship Game Recap: What Went Wrong? ET. This season, hes put it to devastating use week in and week out. He was named to several First and Second All-American Teams by various national media outlets. Per the report, police implicated Carter in street racing, which . 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. He has incredible poise and does not lose his cool and, for much of the 2021 season, led special teams in tackles. Highest Punter Ever Drafted Russell Erxleben was drafted No. 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. Theyre three different skills that each require practice, and a human leg can swing only so many times before it gets overworked. But how have other drafted punters panned out in the NFL? As for Araiza, the Bills could potentially be getting a steal with their selection of the player known as "Punt God.". Brugler predicts Bellinger will be the second San Diego State player drafted (after Cameron Thomas). All that matters is watching him boom footballs as far as he can. The Bills' selection at No. Araiza's punts helped the San Diego State product earn the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's top college punter, as he set NCAA records for punting average (51.2 per punt), punts over 50 . Defensive end Cameron Thomas was chosen in the third round by Arizona and tight end Daniel Bellinger went in the fourth round to the New York Giants. To demonstrate the rarified air that the San Diego State punter is kicking in, fellow NFL Draft prospect Jake Camarda has a career-long of 68 yards. Free shipping for many products! 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. But that's only half-true: Araiza is also statistically the most talented punter prospect of all time. 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. Araiza had the seasons longest punt, 86 yards against San Jose State. Welcome to Buffalo, @Matt_Araiza! The Big Punt traveled more than 80. 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). A fifth-round selection for Araiza would not be particularly noteworthy in the history of punters taken in the NFL draft. Former Saints punter Thomas Morstead recently explained to the Athletic why that's a concern. Araiza managed six punts over 70 yards and two in excess of 80 yards. Please enter a valid email and try again. Brugler ranked Bellinger as the 13th-best tight end in this draft class last month. Araiza had a 6.09 Prospect Grade on NFL.com, compared to 5.99 for Stout and 5.85 for Camarda. Did one NFC West team just accumulate more prospect talent than the rest of the division combined? The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. 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. Ray Guy, for whom a college football award is named, was a first-round pick in 1973. While a lot of kids growing up dream of playing in the NFL, at that time it wasnt even a consideration for Araiza. The San Diego, California native has a career kicking percentage of over 73% as the Aztecs kicker. It was not an issue in college, where everyone at the line can release downfield after the snap. Ray Guy, the only punter in the Hall of Fame, was drafted No. The defense is legitimately good, ranking third in the FBS in yards allowed per play. 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. The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. He visited Buffalo years ago on a family vacation and is thrilled to return, even if it means purchasing a heavier jacket. Araiza will be selected early on Day Two, if not late in the first round. But Araiza took a while to realize that kicking was his path. Around 20 minutes north of San Diego State University lies North County Soccer Park. 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. The number of seasons for each punter includes every season where at least half of a season was played. From the aforementioned information, it appears that Araiza is an elite punting prospect. Show me in the rule book where it says a punter cant win the Heisman! Furthermore, it wasnt even a thought. No one in our family had control over that. several third-round selections at punter. They attend expensive camps and begin perfecting their form. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. A half-century ago, Pink Floyd unleashed a classic that still lingers on the Billboard charts and in college dorms to this day. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Ill kind of get to squash that whole warm-weather kicker thing.. 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. Araiza may be the greatest college punter of all time. 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. 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. But, Araiza isnt an ordinary punter. He also boomed an 86-yarder against San Jose State at sea level. Araiza, a. Chad Reuter ranks his favorite picks in each round. What happened to the Giants after Round 1? Bellinger recently signed with JB Sports, Inc., the same agency that represents San Francisco 49ers tight end, George Kittle. 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