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). Punter Bryan Anger famously went five picks before Russell Wilson in 2012 with the 70th overall pick. NFL 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. Araizas performances have been record-setting. , given to the best punter in college football. Of course you would use a first-round pick on the Punter That Was Promised. Araiza will be selected early on Day Two, if not late in the first round. But when the ball came off of his foot in the thin Rocky Mountain air of Colorado Springs, the San Diego State punter surprised even himself. At the time, a young Araiza couldnt have imagined becoming a national punting icon. 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. Matt Araiza is downright dynamite.. They attend expensive camps and begin perfecting their form. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. The first two punters went off the board in the fourth round with the Ravens selecting Jordan Stout and the Buccaneers taking Jake Camarda. Although Araiza saw plenty of action at San Diego State, he might not see the field much in Buffalo. Didnt see the second one and my agent called me. In addition to his record-setting punting, he's drilled three 50-yard field goals, second most in college football, and has the fourth-longest average kickoff distance (65.0 yards). Plus, Nadine Smith on the Agendas Behind Wrestling Documentaries. One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State Universitys Matt Araiza. 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. While the PFF analytics are excellent indicators of success, NFL teams will trust their evaluations from watching game tape and in-person workouts. SIGN UP NOW: $1,000 risk-free on FanDuel Sportsbook! Thomas, a redshirt junior who earned his degree this December, accepted an invite to play in the Senior Bowl and will look to showcase his top-tier talent to NFL teams. But, I knew I had the potential and once I got rocking and rolling, everything would work out as it did.. Draft doings The Chargers will arrive at the combine still armed with their original seven picks one in each round in the upcoming draft. He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. They try to be consistent, perfecting their motion so its the same every time. An all-around special teams contributor, the 2021 unanimous All-American had kickoff duties for San Diego State. 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. By Oliver Hodgkinson January 31, 2022 Jump around this article Click to show Matt Araiza is not your average NFL Draft prospect. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC East team. Araiza may be the greatest college punter of all time. Watch where Araiza ends up on this play! We released a jersey with a company out of San Diego and to see those jerseys in the stands, was crazy to me. The only two FBS teams that gave him offers were San Diego State and UMass. 0. He has 28 punts of 50-plus yards; the NCAA record is 32, set in 1994. His 39 punts of over 50 yards are a single-season NCAA record, as are his 18 punts of over 60 yards. My sophomore season, we won the state championship, Araiza said. 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. It is what it is. Did the Packers blow it by once again passing on the receiver position in Round 1? Punters are an often-overlooked asset on a football squad but San Diego State punter/kicker Matt Araiza has been frequently referenced as the most talented punt prospect in recent history. Labeled the "Punt God," Araiza set an NCAA record with a 51.2-yard average on his punts in 2021. Araiza had the seasons longest punt, 86 yards against San Jose State. 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. 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. But then came the 50-, 60-, 70-. 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. I knew I just had to figure out a few things, dial in a few things, get some consistency and adjust to the college operation time. 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. Hes a smooth athlete. 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. Punter's names don't usually pop up as draft choices, so we figured it's a good time to look at the position's history in the draft. Middle Tennessee State punter Kyle Ulbrich is . I never saw that coming. What Matt Araiza did in college football was revolutionary from a position where it's tough to disrupt how the game is played. There has been one 80-plus-yard punt in the NFL in 2021, by Green Bays Corey Bojorquez. Araizas leg strength is remarkable; however, he will need to cut down on the power in certain instances to further achieve NFL success. Where most players have a left leg, the San Diego product has what can only be described as a cannon. "He was like, 'You're outkicking your coverage. When Araiza was younger, his brother took him out to a local field with some footballs and let him kick away. Personally, I would not draft a punter, regardless of how good he is, until the 7th-round the 6th-round at the earliest. 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. Though the Bills are hardly known for punting, on the rare occasions they do, Araiza will be expected to tip the field and also be a weapon on kickoffs (he had 62 touchbacks in 73 kickoffs). Bellinger will have a massive opportunity to show teams that he should be drafted in the top 100 like his former tight end mate, starting with the Senior Bowl and then the NFL Combine. Quarterbacks can put up gaudy stats because of their offensive scheme; wide receivers who dominate in college can look lost in the pros. Will another aggressive draft by Mickey Loomis pay off for the Saints? Gennaro Filice and Dan Parr rank each franchise's class, from No. And what's up with the Commanders' value assessment? He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. Something went wrong. 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. As his team keeps winning games and his punts keep soaring over the heads of baffled punt returners, he also raises a question: Just how valuable can a punter truly be? February 28, 2023 6:16 pm SI NFL Draft Bible. 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. But with Araiza, its easy. This punter would make the average opponent worse than the 2021 Jets, who score on 22.1 percent of their drives. Hes big. These were certified piss missiles not to be confused with lucky bounces and rolls. (Derrick Tuskan / San Diego State Athletics), Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, College baseball wrapup: USD right-hander James Sashin reaping rewards for persistence and hard work, Aztecs QB Jalen Mayden gets full offseason to grow in starting role, College baseball weekend: Tony Gwynn Legacy event a reminder of Hall of Famers legendary life, Aztecs looking for feedback from football season-ticket holders, Aztecs announce executive staff hire at transformative moment for schools athletic department, Aztecs begin offseason drills with a spring in their step, No. Araiza projects as a punter, because thats where hes setting records, and because hes a lefty. 130) and Georgia's Jake Camarda to the Buccaneers (fourth round, No. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC West team. Now time for my prediction: I believe Matt Araiza will be selected in the later portion of Round 4, or in Round 5 of the 2022 NFL Draft. 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. 10-yard split time 1.61 seconds Thomas has been a really solid player for [SDSU], Brugler 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. He was named to several First and Second All-American Teams by various national media outlets. 0 Comment. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. Since 2001, NFL teams starting drives from inside their own 5-yard line have scored just 16.8 percent of the time. 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. Early success formed a catalyst for what was to come later. 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). In the case that his placekicks were returned, which was the exception and not the rule (84.93% touchback rate in 2021), he had an uncanny knack for then taking down the receiver, thanks in part to his high school track skills. So, what's next for this group -- in 2022 and beyond? Araiza also boomed an 86-yard punt last season, which was the longest in college football. 11 overall in 1979 by the New Orleans Saints after being a kicker and punter in college. The Aztecs are 7-0 and have the nation's 5th-ranked defense with a potent rushing offense. 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. 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