Our top punter prospects are selected after thousands of hours carefully scouting the best special teamers in college football. Coverage teams love when they see a fair catch, because it means less work for them. York was one of just three college kickers that hit a 50+ yard field goal in the final two minutes of a game in the 2020 season. Camarda has a 67-yard career-long punt, and last season, he downed 50 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line. In 2021, Hekker had a net average of 42.6 yards per punt, which ranked fourth in the NFL. Coach Bryan Harsin will have options in field position this fall with Chapman booting balls. # 1. Consistent ball striking, hang time, and placement are key factors in evaluation. Whenever there's a conversation about the best punters in the NFL, Johnny Hekker's name almost always comes up, which makes sense, because he's one of the best punters in the NFL. (Saraland, AL). Gill was a great kickoff specialist to boot, providing extra versatility. Assuming full-time punting duty this year, Dicker earned first-team All-Big 12 honors. He's also redefining how valuable punters can really be. His brother, Johnny, is also a professional punter who played at the University of Florida. @tommy_townsend had the mic against the Chargers pic.twitter.com/zua6j8l7tJ. Copyright 2019-2023. 51 punts: 47.5 yards per punt, 15 inside-20, 6 touchbacks, 23 fair catches (45.1%). Late Kick With Josh Pate. The minimum salary given to them is $ 580,000 a year. It's also, We've ranked 3000 prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft! Chapman ranked 18th in the Power Five in net punting average. Not to mention he capped off the year with first-team, All-Pac-12 honors. NFL. Boston College Secures 9th ACC Win Over Wake, 71-69. San Diego States Matt Araiza put in a historic year. He is one of the most accurate punters in the country and has excellent hang time on his kicks, these put together make him rank on our list of best college punters. The 247Sports Composite is a proprietary algorithm that compiles rankings and ratings listed in the public domain by the major media recruiting services, creating the industry's most comprehensive and unbiased prospect and team rankingsMore Info, Powered by innovative technology products, 247Sports employs a staff of more than 50 full time recruiting reporters and evaluators that rank and compile data on the nation's elite high school recruitsMore Info. Best Value Schools. The Texas Tech kicker was perfect on kicks under 50 yards. From Santa Ana to Michoacn and ultimately to Texas Tech with several stops in between, Jonathan Garibay has traveled a winding road to be one of the top kickers in the 2022 NFL Draft. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Discover the current NCAA FBS Football leaders in every stats category, as well as historic leaders. His return to the Hawkeyes solidifies theyll be elite again on special teams this fall. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Clemson place kicker B.T. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. That gamble paid off big time and that's because Fox ended up setting the franchise record for both yards per punt (49.1) and net yards per punt (44.8) during a fantastic 2020 season (Both of those numbers ranked in the top-three in the NFL). Could the same feat be achieved by prospects trying to make a living with their feet next season? As the punter for the Chiefs last season, Tommy Townsend didn't exactly see a lot of action, but when his team did call on him, he came through almost every time. Or write about sports? However, dont be fooled by those statistics into thinking his game breaks down over 50 yards. I didnt have much to say about the kickers, but I always love talking about my punters. That 7.3 return number was the lowest in the league for any team that had to cover 30 or more punt returns. He finished third in the Big Ten, and 12th in the FBS in yards per punt. LSU has had a remarkable run of kickers who have stepped up and delivered when needed most. Anger was so good in 2021 that he ended up being voted a second-team All-Pro. Bryan Anger's punt hit the jumbotron : #SFvsDAL on CBS/NICK/Prime Video: NFL app pic.twitter.com/v6QcauOWfx. A number of these guys are experienced in all three disciplines; field goals, punting, and kickoffs. He has made 86.2 percent of his field-goal attempts and 98.4 percent of his extra-point attempts for his career. Constantinous 65-yard bomb in the win over Colorado was his longest of the season. 1. While his 64.5% field-goal success wouldnt see him challenge the top kickers in college football, he does hold the program record with a 57-yard field goal against Pittsburgh in 2019. Clutch, powerful, and accurate, York possesses the full package. He played college football at Texas. Nik Constantinou. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5) Wright is a former QB with good athleticism to help with fake punts, and is a very big guy (63" 245) who could also make some tackles in punt coverage. Szmyts 54-yard career-long also ties Brkic and BYUs Jake Oldroyd for second behind only LSUs York. "Tory's one of the best players on our football team, regardless of position," says Woods, whose Iowa team punted 82 times, tied for second . The six-foot-one, 207-pounder landed 23 punts inside the 20-yard line. Townsend had just 37 punts in 2021, which didn't meet the minimum requirement to be listed on the NFL's leader board for best punting average, but if he had been there, he would have ranked second in the league. In addition to Fox and Dickinson, the top five (or seven) highest-paid punters for 2022 by average annual value (AAV) are: Jack Fox, Detroit Lions: $3.775M. Kicker Nick Folk is 37 years old, while punter Jake Bailey is entering the final year of his deal and due just over $4 million, most of which would come off the cap if the team can move on from him. After all, he only made 76.9 percent of his field-goal attempts. If you need proof of just how big of a weapon he was for the Cowboys last year, just look at their Week 15 game against the Giants. LSU's Cade York and San Diego State's Matt Araiza lead the top kickers and punters in a strong special teams 2022 NFL Draft class. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. The Australian landed a jaw-dropping, 38 punts inside the 20-yard line. To put that in perspective, there were only two other punters who even landed 30 kicks inside their opponents' 20-yard line. The Spartans signed Jack Stone, one of the top kickers in the nation, to their 2022 recruiting class. Bryce Baringer, Michigan State: The Michigan native played a pivotal role in the Spartans 11-2 campaign last season. The Colorado State punter has averaged 47.8 yards per game throughout his outstanding college career. The 247Sports Composite is a proprietary algorithm that compiles rankings and ratings listed in the public domain by the major media recruiting services, creating the industry's most comprehensive and unbiased prospect and team rankings. (Australia, AUST), Nease ESPN uses Kohl's rankings exclusively to rank . IOWA CITY, Ia. Not to mention 19 of his punts went for 50-plus yards. 14. Louis Rams 1993-1996, 2003-2004; Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1997; Green Bay Packers 1998; Philadelphia Eagles 1999-2002, 2005 Moores 68-yard punt at Boston College was his longest of the season. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? . He averaged 51.1 yards on a season-high, nine punts in the win over UTEP. As such, theyll be subject to change throughout the summer and 2021 college football season. Ray Guy Award finalist in 2011 (top college punter in the nation). 2. Theres no denying the former three-star prospect has blossomed into one of the best punters in the league. He played college football at Rice. Visit ESPN to view College Football stat leaders for the current and previous seasons Here's everything you need to know about the NFL for July 5 The Jaguars punter also made a habit of avoiding touchbacks. The Alabama Crimson Tide saw 10 players selected in the NFLs annual selection event in Cleveland, and although their class may not be as deep next year, theyre already set to have one of the top kickers in the 2022 NFL Draft. Who is the best punter of 2022? During his career for the Demon Deacons, he has hit 89.1 percent of his field goals. Could this group hold the answers for an NFL team? Meanwhile, Sciba has never missed an extra point attempt. However, this section is for the top punters, not kickers, in the 2022 NFL Draft. Punting Stats. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. He also booted 19 of his balls for 50-plus yards. Last season, he achieved an average of 46.6 yards per punt, amongst the most of any of the top punters in the 2022 NFL Draft class. If there's one knock on Cole, it's that he regularly outkicked his coverage last season, which allowed opposing teams to average 12.2 yards per return against the Raiders, which was the second-worst number in the NFL. Dicker connected on 86.7% of his field-goal attempts and missed just one extra point. Beyond the numbers, Camarda is the most mechanically sound punter in the draft. The 247Sports Composite is a proprietary algorithm that compiles rankings and ratings listed in the public domain by the major media recruiting services, creating the industry's most comprehensive and unbiased prospect and team rankingsMore Info, Powered by innovative technology products, 247Sports employs a staff of more than 50 full time recruiting reporters and evaluators that rank and compile data on the nation's elite high school recruitsMore Info. Six of the past 10 winners of the . Not to mention 17 of his punts went for 50-plus yards. . He was named the 2022 Ray Guy award winner as the nation's top punter, finishing his career as the NCAA leader in career punts (349), net punting yards in a singe season (45.25), and career . The most important thing youll read ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft is this list of the top kickers and punters in the class. Importantly, over half of his attempts this year have dropped inside the 20. 9. Fox also had an outstanding college career at Rice University, where he played as a kicker and punter. 1. 1. (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL), Westminster School When he's not punting the ball, the Lions also love to unleash his throwing arm. Hekker has also mastered the art of pinning his opponents deep in their own territory. The only reason Fox isn't higher on this list is because he struggled with touchbacks. Also Read: The 25 Best College Logos In The US | 2022 Most Engaging College Logos. Hedley ranked second in the ACC and 14th in the Power Five in yards per punt last year. Entering the 2022 season, Vujnovich is one of the top returning punters in all of college football, and there is talk that with a big season could be the first punter drafted from Wisconsin since . These are my very early rankings of the top punters in the 2022 NFL Draft. In 2020, the Oklahoma kicker only had a 76.9% success rate. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports. To join our email list and get notified when we launch the 2023-24 College Football section (about a week before the season starts), . Punting, kickoff specialist, quarterback on fake-punt pass attempts, and field-goal kicker, Stout has done it all. Brkic has consistently proven that hes got one of the strongest legs in college football, routinely booming 50+ yard attempts. The Wildcats suffered a 1-11 campaign, but Ostendorp ranked first in the Pac-12, and third in the FBS in yards per punt. Rank : O/A : Chng : Player/School : Ht/Wt : Elig. But you also want to know if a kicker can come up clutch when needed. If you watched any Jaguars games in 2021, then you probably saw a lot of Cooke and that's because he was one of Jacksonville's busiest players. He dropped an impressive 47 percent of his attempts deep into enemy territory, with 15 coming inside the 10-yard line. Top Five Boston College Prospects in the 2022 NFL . Adam Korsak, Rutgers: Scarlet Knight fans will argue that he got snubbed for the Ray Guy Award over the past two seasons. Johnston was also able to force 22 fair catches with his punts, which was tied for the fifth-highest total in the league. Which of the best NFL punters 2022 do you love? 5 Oklahoma 289.69. Brad Robbins - Class of 2022 Punter from University of Michigan. Princeton University. Hes the only kicker on this list who made every single one of his kicks in 2020. YouTube. Top 10 Kickers and Punters in the 2022 NFL Draft. Of course, yards per punt isn't a great way to measure a punter's skill. 2022 College Stats GP TKL . Now the Cowboys just need to think about moving to a new stadium because Anger is too strong to be kicking indoors. 2 Georgia 311.80. Read also The 25 Best College Football Teams of All-Time | 2022 Rankings. 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 All FBS ACC American Big 12 Big Ten Conference USA Independents MAC Mountain West Pac 12 SEC Sun Belt Not that too many of his punts get returned. Gill has room to add extra power to his kicks, and the only main concern will be the two blocked punts earlier in his career. Berry ranked 8th in the NFL in punts inside of the 20-yard marker while also holding punt returners to an 8.7 average yard per return mark. Find out more. Joe Vitale. College Footballs 15 best punters of 2022, Nico Ragaini ready to handle unfinished business as a Hawkeye, Joe Evans focusing on guiding the younger defenders this spring, Will McDonald primed for next level after solid week at the Senior Bowl, College footballs best tight ends of 2023, College footballs 20 best wide receivers of 2023, College footballs 20 best running backs of 2023. Araiza has the biggest leg in the draft, theres no doubt about that. 3 Texas 301.59. This system was developed to help college coaches find prospects. Although his stats were slightly down in 2021, his track record suggests that he should bounce back big time in 2022. However, two consecutive seasons where hes made only 76.9% of his field goals and lost his perfect extra-point record could impact his stock. Not to mention he earned second-team, All-ACC honors. NFL.com's rankings of the top punter prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft. He was impressive on his punts and proved he can be one of the best punters in this year's class at the college level. It's a position that requires intelligence and physicality. Jake Camarda was far and away my top punter prospect entering the year, but had an unspectacular season by his standards. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Dont worry about wide receivers. Punters are the unsung heroes who play a huge role in pinning opponents deep in their territory. However, there are several punters who are still walk-ons, trying to earn a scholarship. His career stats are nuts, but he showed even more at the Senior Bowl, averaging a 50.5 yard net and a 4.59 second hang time. Fox has a booming leg and his ability to flip the field has made him a huge asset in Detroit. After booming his way to the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2018, Dickson has somehow only gotten better. Texas A&M punter Nik Constantinou punts the ball during the third quarter against Colorado Saturday September 11, 2021 on Empower Field at Mile High Stadium. 1 punter in next year's draft class after having really solid showings in 2019 and 2020. He landed 17 of his punts inside the 20-yard line. As a matter of fact, let's stop for a second to watch this 70-yard punt that he boomed against the Bears on Thanksgiving last season. . Pro Football Network, LLC. Like clockwork. Not to mention 20 of his punts went for 50-plus yards. Our reputation for honest and accurate evaluations has earned us the respect of the college coaching community. With so many games being decided by field goals this past season especially in the playoffs its never been more important to find the next clutch kicker. This might well be the best punting class in NFL Draft history. Contact BNB Football with any questions, comments, suggestions, or business inquiries. As if that's not impressive enough, Townsend also placed 20 of his 37 punts inside the 20-yard line, which means he pinned his opponents deep an NFL-leading 54.1% of the time. Jeremy Crawshaw, Florida: The former two-star prospect finished third in the SEC in yards per punt last season. Not to mention he booted 26 balls for 50-plus yards. With Ulbrich back on the gridiron, the Blue Raiders have a chance to reach bowl eligibility for a second-straight year. A Dunsborough, Australia native, UTSAs Lucas Dean will look to continue the ever-growing trend of Australian punters in the NFL. He now holds the record for single-season punt average, with 51.19 yards per punt. While accuracy is easier to coach than power, his propensity to outkick his coverage and ridiculous number of touchbacks make it hard for a team to take him on as a rookie. Stonehouse finished second behind that same punter in yards per punt this season. 2022 Position Rankings-- Punters --Most Recent Update: 4/27/2022. CBSSports HQ. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Tight ends are the unsung heroes when it comes to the pass catchers. Brett Thorson ProKick Australia (Australia, AUST) The 247Sports Composite is a proprietary algorithm that compiles rankings and ratings listed in the public domain by the major media recruiting services, creating the industry's most comprehensive and unbiased prospect and team rankings. Oklahoma's Michael Turk (37) punts a ball in the second half during the Bedlam college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners . The Colorado State standout averaged 50.91 yards per punt in the 2021 season, and this performance is no fluke. Over the last three years of his Georgia career, Camarda has averaged 46.8, 46.6, and 46.7 yards per punt. Cole III, who plays for the Las . Over the past four years, no punter has placedmore balls inside the 10-yard line than Dickson, who has done it nearly 50 times since 2018. Dickers versatility should help him secure a roster spot this summer. A ranking of the 2023 Best College Punter Players. Cole. Following that impressive 2020 season, Bailey made it all the way up to third in our ranking last year, but he's now down to seventh after struggling through most of the 2021 season. College FB Recruiting Show. According to Football Outsiders, Fox averaged 52.5 yards per punt when he was forced to kick the ball from inside his own 35-yard line and that number ranked second in the NFL behind only A.J. Michael Dickson (born 4 January 1996) is an Australian professional American football punter for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). Nevertheless, it presents an early look at the top kickers in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Texans punter definitely made the most of his 88 punts by placing 37 of them inside his opponents 20-yard line, which was the second-best number in the NFL. Ulbrichs leg is very powerful, and he landed 24 punts inside the 20-yard line. Ethan Evans Scouting Report: D2s Top Draft Prospect? Only one punter was voted a first-team All-Pro in 2021 and that punter was A.J. The Patriots raised some eyebrows in 2019 when they decided to use the 163rd overall pick on a punter, but after three years, Bailey is now making them look like geniuses. Just a casual career-long 70-yard punt for @MrJackFox#CHIvsDET | FOX pic.twitter.com/I0qGNLrwbU. The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding punter as adjudged by the Augusta Sports Council. (Kennewick, WA). And now theyre all out to sharpen their skills with spring ball in the air. Korsaks 74-yard bomb against Penn State was his longest of the season. Garibay is clutch. Southern University, Army, ULL*, Nichols State*, Northwestern State*, Lane College, Arizona Christian, Louisiana College, Arkansas Monticello, Southeastern Louisiana Don't worry about wide receivers. Clutch, powerful, and accurate, York possesses the full package. However, they often times For a quarterback, there's nothing like having a reliable target to throw to. The 247Sports Composite is a proprietary algorithm that compiles rankings and ratings listed in the public domain by the major media recruiting services, creating the industry's most comprehensive and unbiased prospect and team rankingsMore Info, Powered by innovative technology products, 247Sports employs a staff of more than 50 full time recruiting reporters and evaluators that rank and compile data on the nation's elite high school recruitsMore Info. When versatility is one of the most valuable commodities in an NFL Draft prospect, Penn States Jordan Stout may be the most valuable player on this list of the top kickers and punters in the 2022 NFL Draft. And no, I have no idea why they mic'd up their punter, but I love that they did it. Only one of Hedleys punts went for a touchback because hes crafty with his kicks. Results for Oklahoma Sooners punter Michael Turk at the 2023 NFL Scouting . (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5). The skinny: Dustin -- a 2012 Pro Bowl pick -- comes from a long line of Colquitt punters. Dec 2022 Update - Dax looked hot at our 2022 National Showcase on Dec 3-4 winning the FG comp (2-way tie) on Day 1 FG Charting going a perfect 9/9 through 60 . He succeeded, and in a shortened 2020 season, displayed consistency with a 47.2 punt average. A big reason Hekker's net punting average was so high is because he wasn't allowing any returns. A big reason why he had such a high net average is because he excelled at forcing his opponent to call for a fair catch. A starter since 2018, hes also one of the best, winning the Lou Groza Award as the nations best kicker following the 2018 season. College Football's 15 best place kickers of 2022. Hayballs 68-yard punt at UAB was is longest of the season. TR Top 40 qualifier is any player NOTE: The stats on this page include data ONLY from games involving two FBS schools. One thing Bailey did well was flip the field. Punting is an art form, so let's find out who the best artists are. Only the man who leads our list of the top punters in the 2022 NFL Draft scuppered his chances of making it a clean sweep. Despite this, one of the areas where Hedley pales compared to the other top punters in the 2022 NFL Draft is the number of punts downed inside the 20. 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 | On his way to earning first-team All-Big 12 honors, Garibay missed just 2 kicks a field goal and an extra point. Pro Football Network strives to passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and exceptional football content. One of the top kickers in the 2022 NFL Draft, Sciba set the NCAA record for career field-goal percentage. At 64, 225 pounds, and covered in tattoos, he isnt the sort of player you try and run through as you return one of his punts. Not to mention 16 of his punts went for 50-plus yards. 67 punts: 46.0 yards per punt, 35 inside-20, 3 touchbacks, 30 fair catches (44.8%). 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. If you watched the Texans play last season, you may have noticed that they had one of the worst offenses in the NFL and because of that, Johnston saw A LOT of action. Dean demonstrated development between his freshman season and last year, increasing his average punt from 40.8 to 46. Turk turned heads with an impressive bench press performance but ultimately went undrafted following disappointing punting drills. The Lions punter hit seven touchbacks last season, which was tied for the second-most in the NFL. Additionally, he earned an honorable mention for the All-Big 12 team from the conferences coaches. The Wake Forest wizard hit 89.9% of his field-goal attempts. In 2020, he had his best average, 48 yards per punt, and a long of 67. Gill averaged at least 44.9 yards per punt each of his 3 seasons as a starter, and decided to forego his extra year of eligibility after being named 1st team All-ACC. It's also worth pointing out that returners only averaged 7.3 yards return against the Seahawks, which is a testament to both Dickson and Seattle's coverage team. That impressive average came just one year after a 2020 season where he also finished fifth in the league with an average of 48 yards per punt. Just missed: Sam Martin (Broncos), Thomas Morstead (Dolphins), Brett Kern (Titans). Anthony Beck, Georgia Southern: The Georgia native is a very versatile athlete, who can handle punt and kickoff duties. The award is named after punter Ray Guy, an All-American for Southern Mississippi and an All-Pro in the National Football League for the Oakland Raiders.. He went 14 of 14 on field goals while booming all 84 of his extra points through the uprights. While his 68-yard career-high might seem meager compared to some of the heavy hitters on this list, Camarda had a punt travel 73 yards in the air at the Senior Bowl, demonstrating he has the leg to get the job done, alongside his consistency and ball placement.