| NFL All Day Pack Opening, Jimbo Fisher Isnt Leaving Texas A&M Football, New Texas State Football Coach Wont Last Long, Best PrizePicks College Football DFS Picks and Player Props for CFP National Championship, TCU vs Georgia Prediction, Odds and College Football National Championship Betting Picks, Marcus Jones Draft Profile: Stats, Highlights and 2022 NFL Draft Projection, Cameron Dicker Draft Profile: Stats, Highlights and 2022 NFL Draft Projection, How To Watch Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury In Canada, Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury LIVE! Araiza leads the punter predictions for this 2022 NFL Draft. Can he step, drop, and reset to cut off Khalil Mack trying to knife inside? NFL MOCK DRAFT. He possesses all the tools to start in the NFL and will be a very early draft pick for a punter. Carson Strong has a great arm but teams will worry about his injury history. Continue with Recommended Cookies, (Derrick Tuskan/San Diego State Athletics). The Buffalo Bills are going to have a tough decision to make. With his record-breaking antics and social media ascension to Punt God, San Diego State punter Matt Araiza is making special teams sexy again. Analysis: Araiza took a step to the forefront last season and was a rockstar punter for the Aztecs. Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News, for example, projects Araiza to go 174th overall to the defending AFC champion Bengals. San Diego State P Matt Araiza. He has the power to flip the field with one kick. One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State University's Matt Araiza. Odds & lines subject to change. All Combine and Draft-Related Analysis, News, Video, and Biographical Information for Matt Araiza As mentioned before, Araiza is incredibly versatile and can help the special teams unit in an impactful way. This is the most yards per punt a player has ever averaged in a single NCAA season, illustrating his sheer dominance. 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. . 2:39 pm ET, did he lead the nation in punting average, 2023 NFL free agent interior offensive linemen, NFL free agent offensive tackles: Sizing up 2023 market, Free agent WR market: Breaking down available talent, NFL 2023 free agency: Top TEs set to hit open market, NFL 2023 free agency: Top RBs set to hit open market, 'Punt God' Matt Araiza not first punter taken, NFL Combine: QB, WR, TE run 40s, compete in drills, Mock Draft: Panthers, Colts trade up for QBs, Rodgers' trade value, logistics, best fit, Pascal robbed at gunpoint, assaulted; WR 'doing fine', Bryce Young measures similar to former No. Araiza can take up one spot on a roster, rather than a team having to carry a player at both punter and placekicker. Now for the burning question: where will Araiza be drafted in April? P Matt Araiza earned $216,148 in his NFL career. Punt God. He can be seen putting his high school track athleticism to good use getting downfield. Stout will likely end up replacing the longtime Ravens punter, who turns 40 in August. He was also one of four players in the nation who handled all three kicking duties (punts, PATs/field goals and kickoffs), Araiza was 18-of-28 . Negatives: Takes a while to get the ball off his foot. The punt went for a touchback, but when you still factor the flipping from San Diego States 21-yard line to Hawaiis 20-yard line, thats still a 59-yard flip with the touchback. In addition to his prowess as a punter, Araiza has a 73.5% success rate as a field-goal kicker. But, thats not all Araiza can do. Positives: Strong-legged punter whos also an exceptional directional kicker. The team admits learning about the allegation in July. section: | slug: 2022-nfl-draft-shocker-bills-land-punt-god-matt-araiza-who-surprisingly-gets-taken-behind-two-other-punters | sport: football | route: article_single.us | Jordan Davis combines size and athleticism. Harbaugh seems to prefer a finesse punter, which is what he's had over the years with Sam Koch, who's been Baltimore's punter since 2006. The coach offered Faalele a scholarship on the spot. Matt Araiza'The Weapon' Ready to Destroy Your Perception of an NFL Punter. Of course, Ray Guys first-round selection in 1973 is an anomaly. Matt Araiza Overview. 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. Brewer. He wound up landing at Minnesota, using the Madden video game series to swot up on the rules and regulations. Predicting Four 2023 Middle Linebacker Free Agent Destinations The 2023 NFL offseason should be stacked, Von Miller Eyeing GM Career Post Retirement NFL legend and current Buffalo Bills Edge rusher, Former OSU quarterback C.J. He quickly became a nationally known name after delivering a 82-yard punt in the preseason. That hasn't happened for a punter since 2012, when Jacksonville selected Cal's . Davis was the force behind college footballs most dominant defense last season, fueling a Georgia group that carried their team to the national championship. Matt Araiza came into the 2022 NFL Draft as a fan favorite. At worst, the allegation contained in a civil lawsuit filed Thursday that Araiza, a former San Diego State star . Pro Football Network, LLC. As the 2022 NFL Draft nears, it's time to put our money where our mouth is and start making some predictions about the class. After the horrendous playoff performance, the Packers . The likes of Mitch Wishnowsky and Max Duffy from recent draft classes utilized this style of punting before entering the NFL. The victims lawyer, Dan Gilleon, said the Bills also ignored his warnings about Araiza in late July. Starting with the Punt God himself, lets examine the punter prospects that make up this unlikeliest of NFL Draft predictions. Matt Araiza did the unthinkable for a punter during the 2021 college football season. Other Draft Prospects: TE Daniel Bellinger (UFA), LB Caden McDonald (UFA) That, combined with the more condensed splits in the NFL, makes a rugby-style delivery tough to impossible to pull off consistently. Some national NFL Draft analysts with NFL information have openly stated that he might be selected on Day 2. Matt Araiza draft projection. and 387lb (!!) Hes also hit a 60+ yarder in each of his four years for the Bulldogs. Additionally, Ray Guy was a first-round pick in 1973, with the award for punting success named after him. , our 15th-highest-ranked prospect. The only other times it happened came in 1993 and 2007. His ceiling could be much higher. That ability to flip the field to pin opponents deep in their own half, no matter where his own offense stalls out serves as a cheat code. Of course, there were more rounds and selections back then. That is an incredibly high projection for a special teams player, as punters and kicker often . We explored a massive trade-down scenario in a recent seven-round mock draft. Ill make a bold statement and say that, if the Bears trade down and acquire a pick in Round 4, I wouldnt be furious if they took Araiza with that selection. 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. Yet, in San Diego State punter Matt Araiza, the 2022 NFL Draft class might possess the most high-profile and highly skilled punter prospect in recent history. This season, Araiza has set records and social media alight with his left leg cannon. All Rights Reserved. An all-around special teams contributor, the 2021 unanimous All-American had kickoff duties for San Diego State. (Interestingly, I found out while researching this that Cleveland used second round picks in both 1977 and 1978 to draft a punter. holy crap.you know what I just realized? Eric D. Williams goes to practice with Matt Araiza, who could be the first punter selected on Day 2 of a draft since 2012. . The 22-year-old was expected to be the Bills' starting punter after playing well during the preseason. 901 Possesses a monster leg, gets tremendous hang time on punts, and allows coverage teams to get downfield and make the play. At least three punters will be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft that is the prediction. One of the most dangerous weapons in college football is San Diego State punter Matt Araiza. Most fans expected San Diego State's Matt Araiza to be the first punter selected in the 2022 NFL draft, but multiple prospects at his position came off the board before he heard his name called . The following is a complete Matt Araiza NFL Draft profile, including stats, highlights and a mock projection. However, even in recent history, multiple punters were selected in 2019 and 2020. Chatter among leaky scouts has suggested that Faalele may be too big to play tackle in the league, that he will struggle to dip and sink to wall off the leagues premier dip-and-rip pass-rushers. Think thats an exaggeration? Matt Araiza was selected in the sixth-round of the 2022 NFL Draft. 2021 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST SECOND TEAM (COACHES): PK - Matt Araiza, Jr., San Diego State,.Araiza, a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, has already set NCAA records in 50-yard punts (38) and 60-yard punts (18) in a season, and is on track to break Braden Mann's record of 50.98 set in 2018 while with Texas A&M. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the 2021 Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football. 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. And yet, the prediction of a multiple-punter class in the 2022 NFL Draft might surprise a few people. Like clockwork. Round 5 - Philadelphia Eagles (No. They ignored us, [when] I warned them [what] would happen could be avoided if they just kept their heads in the sand. Consistent directional punter that can kick it out to the sidelines or place it inside the 10-yard line. "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. Mock Draft Database Sites; NFL NBA NHL MLB. Dicker The Kicker has a 46.3-yard career punting average and 75.9% career field-goal completion. The Buffalo Bills released rookie punter Matt Araiza on Saturday night. We're not controlling field position.' 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. One theory on why he fell is because he's never held for extra point or field goals. By. If I can get my punter as an UDFA instead of using a draft selection on him, that would be preferable.. Matt Araiza boots 90-yard punt (!! Talk about ineptitude.) Incredible run. Entry: 2022 Draft, Round 6, #180 overall (Bills) Contract History. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. The term generational talent is incredibly cliche and should be avoided more often than not, as hyperbolic analysts can throw it around to simply describe prospects who are very good, regardless of whether theyre far and away better than other players at their position over the last few decades. Obviously, the ability to pin your opponent deep in their own territory represents a significant advantage. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, at Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Araiza, who began his career at San Diego State as a kicker, also converted 96 of 97 extra point attempts and 50 of 68 field goal attempts (73.5 percent), with a long of 54. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. But there can be no doubt that in a jumbled quarterback class, taking a punt on the best pure thrower would represent the best value play for quarterback-needy franchises. Additionally, Ray Guy was a first-round pick in 1973, with the award for punting success named after him. With the NFL Draft fast approaching, six former San Diego State players soon may learn their football fates. The redshirt freshman hit 85% of his field goals, nailed every extra point attempt, and smashed 78% of his kickoffs through the back of the end zone. Araiza has as many 80-yard punts in just this season as the NFL has produced since 2013. A versatile punter who can flip field position and force the opposition to account for him while nailing game-winning field goals with regularity is hard to find. Other Aztecs are also headed for the NFL Draft as well. This season Araiza hasnt had a single kick punt or field goal blocked. This is the most yards per punt a player has ever averaged in a single NCAA season, illustrating his sheer dominance. Both batches of decision-makers agree on one overriding idea: Field position really, really matters. "He was like, 'You're outkicking your coverage. It also helps that Araiza is a quality kickoff specialist, as he has finished in the top-5 in the FBS in average distance on kickoffs in 2020, and his touchback percentage of 84.9 percent was the fourth-most in the nation in 2021. But when you boom not just one, but two punts over 80 yards, you earn some attention. These primarily center around consistency. He followed that up with a Thanos-like performance at the scouting combine: the 341 lb Davis ran the 40-yard dash in 4.78 seconds, the fastest for any player over 330 lb at the combine since 2006; Davis later had a standing broad jump of 10ft 3in, the record for a player over 300 pounds; he tacked on a 34in vertical leap for good measure, a doubletake-worthy figure for someone of his size. There have been multiple third-round selections, while FSU punter John Stark was a second-round choice in 1982. 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.