matt araiza draft projection matt araiza draft projection

(Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images) In 35 games across three years at San Diego State, he punted 84 times for 4,293 yards a 51.1 yards-per-punt rate. Araizas game against UNLV gave the football world its first glimpse of him as a punter, nailing 4 of 5 punts over 50 yards. Araiza was widely viewed as the top punting prospect after a 2021 college season that ended with him winning the Ray Guy award. I am sure he is very upset and disappointed that his career with the Bills ended not because he played poorly but because of false allegations leveled against him by a young lady and her attorney, Araizas lawyer, Kerry Armstrong, told the AP. My names David Ojabo. Matt Araiza had two punts of more than 80 yards last season, including an 86-yarder that was the longest punt in college football. I was 17 years old and I had no idea who Matt Araiza was," she said. Above is a plot of the average Approximate Value (AV) of a punter per season who has been drafted in the last 15 seasons. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. 17 for the first round of the draft. Draft Order & Rookie Pools; . Bills rookie punter Matt Araiza, who has quickly risen to fame with a strong leg and a catchy nickname, faces a very serious off-field issue before his first NFL game.According to the Los Angeles . 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 A&M's Braden Mann in 2018. Before we get into the sexier traits of punter scouting if such a thing exists I want to get into San Diego States punt formation being a benefit for Araiza. He had a scholarship offer before he even put a helmet on. In 1976 and 1978, a whopping eight punters were drafted. While his NFL.com draft profile suggests Araiza could use some work on his directional or pooch punting, he is a field-flipper, as evidenced by his 18 punts of 60 yards or longer in 2021. That is an incredibly high projection for a special teams player, as punters and kicker often . You dont get the award that celebrates collegiate punting excellence without being exceptional. Hes unlikely to be the first defensive lineman off the board. From the aforementioned information, it appears that Araiza is an elite punting prospect. Araiza is averaging 54.0 yards per punt, which would crush the NCAA and NFL records51.0 in college (set in 2018 by Braden Mann) / 51.4 in the NFL (set in 1940 by Slingin' Sammy Baugh). Meanwhile, Araiza saw some sophomore struggles, completing only 71% of his field goals and missing an extra point for the first time in his career. Positives: Strong-legged punter whos also an exceptional directional kicker. PFN Draft Analyst Tony Pauline has Araiza graded as a top-100 player on his latest big board. What I was asked to do was different from a skill set (perspective) than maybe other players have. For this reason, I believe its time for me to do something Ive only done once before: a special teamer breakdown. 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. Punting out of the end zone can be tough for some punters, as there isnt much margin for error if pressure gets into the backfield, and there is more of a condensed space to operation out of. So that builds his value to your team especially if you have an older kicker who now you can take the kickoff duty from.. Shakir, a fifth-round rookie in 2022, got off to a slow start in his career. Araiza can be quite a weapon for NFL teams adding a punter in the 2022 draft. 174) - 1. His, was better than many who are projected to be high draft selections, including. 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. 2023 NFL Combine Hand Size Results: Notable Quarterback Measurements and More, 2023 NFL Combine Risers: Christian Gonzalez, Deonte Banks, and Brian Branch Perform Well, Anthony Richardson Combine Results: Florida Star Makes Case for QB1, Jahmyr Gibbs Landing Spots: Eagles, Saints, and Cardinals Most Popular in Mock Drafts. This is the most yards per punt a player has ever averaged in a single NCAA season, illustrating his sheer dominance. San Diego State. Personally, I would not draft a punter, regardless of how good he is, until the 7th-round the 6th-round at the earliest. Just the 270th-ranked player in California and 2,609th nationally, Araiza held only three offers, with San Diego State winning out over UMass and FCS-level Montana. Increasing his punt average with every year, Stout earned an invite to the Senior Bowl, where he impressed in sometimes torrid conditions. Former Bills punter Matt Araiza and former SDSU teammates will not face charges in connection with an alleged gang rape of a minor that occurred at an off-campus party in October 2021, the San . Like clockwork. Although on-field punter drills werent televised, onlookers inside Lucas Oil Stadium reported that Araiza was impressive during those sessions at the NFL Combine. For more 2022 NFL Draft coverage and player profiles, check out our NFL Draft page. Araiza also boomed an 86-yard punt last season, which was the longest in college football. Or so it seems. Mock Draft Database Sites; NFL NBA NHL MLB. The former San Diego State punter didn't get selected until the Bills made him the first pick of the sixth round (180th overall). Jimmypinthe416 says: August 28, 2022 at 11:39 am Was belichik lying when he drafted Hernandez. No other punter in history has more 50+ and 60+ yard punts in a single season. His ceiling could be much higher. With Camarda now in Tampa, that likely spells the end of Bradley Pinion's three-year run with the team. On Aug. 25 shortly after the team awarded Araiza the starting punting job, he was accused of being part of a gang raping of a 17-year-old girl while he attended San Diego State, according to the Los Angeles Times. I didnt know the positions or what roles they played. Of course, Ray Guys first-round selection in 1973 is an anomaly. go off the board in the second round. Past. I would rather draft depth at other positions, such as defensive back and linebacker, where the players can develop while contributing on special teams.. However, he set a new single-season program record for field goals with 22. He gets the ball off quickly and generates an insane amount of force from his left leg. Pro Football Network, LLC. Araizas punting style with a nose-down punt leaves improvement for coffin corners. 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. Together, they were unblockable. This unit was added to a lot this offseason. We've been studying the players for 11 months. San Diego State P Matt Araiza. 2022 NFL Draft Team Mock Drafts. But how high, exactly, can we expect a team to take Araiza, winner of the 2021 Ray Guy Award? That, combined with the more condensed splits in the NFL, makes a rugby-style delivery tough to impossible to pull off consistently. Continue with Recommended Cookies, (Derrick Tuskan/San Diego State Athletics). Araiza stands at just over 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds. It's probable that he would have hit a fourth for 55 yards . Theres simply no escaping it. Not only did he lead the nation in punting average with an FBS-record 51.4 yards per punt, but he also had six punts of at least 70 yards in 2021, which was the most in the country. You must be logged in to post a comment I didnt know what a first down was or anything, Faalele told ESPN in 2018. MattAraiza. Below is a quick blurb about each Cornerback, Safety, Kicker, Punter, and Long Snapper I have scouted for the 2022 NFL Draft. 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. Using AV from Pro-Football-Reference, this somewhat normalizes the impact of a punter on his team. Being a left-footed punter, teams will have to adjust their formations to help fit his needs. 17 for the first round of the draft. Hutchinson was an effort player; Ojabo the beat-them-out-of-their-cleats, vintage, get-off-and-go rusher. That said, it appears unlikely that Araiza will be a realistic target for them unless he somehow falls to Round 5. Kicking It With Matt Araiza: Former SDSU Kicker On His Punting Past, Present and NFL Future After declaring for the NFL Draft, former San Diego State kicker and Rancho Bernardo High School alum . He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. Punters are NFL Draft prospects, too always have been, always will be. He quickly became a nationally known name after delivering a 82-yard punt in the preseason. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. These traits make for an incredibly impressive athlete, but how would he test at the NFL Combine? Matt Araiza, better known as "Punt God", played for the San Diego State Aztecs for a total of three seasons between 2019 and 2021. He created a draft buzz. Punters can be prolific athletes, too! Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News, for example, projects Araiza to go 174th overall to the defending AFC champion Bengals. Think thats an exaggeration? If you look at his numbers, it's pretty clear that Araiza has one of the strongest legs of any punting prospect in NFL history. Specialists don't often get drafted, but with Araiza being able to flip the field so easily (he has had punts go over 80 yards), an NFL team will likely draft him earlier than fans expect. To put that in perspective, there were only six punts of 70 or more yards by every NFL punter combined last season. 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. That is an incredibly high projection for a special teams player, as punters and kicker often . As a result, theres an ever-growing feeling that his floor in the 2022 NFL Draft will be the fifth round. The Punt God has a legitimate shot at being a day two selection. That said, Matt Araiza is a generational talent at punter. Since 2000, just two draft classes (2017 and 2011) have not had a punter selected to the NFL. The Buffalo Bills released rookie punter Matt Araiza on Saturday night. A minor nitpick in Araizas game is that a quick delivery like his can make it tougher for his teammates to cover significant ground in coverage, but when you factor in how much stronger his leg is than the average punter, it doesnt even matter. NFL punter Matt Araiza and two San Diego State football players accused in gang-rape lawsuit. Teams worried about Davis role on third down should instead be focused on how he can tip the scales in their favor on the most important down of all. School: San Diego State. The 2022 NFL draft is a little over two weeks away. The prolific punter also showcased his versatility as a powerful placekicker, hitting 77% of his 48 attempts with a career long of 53 yards. The likes of Mitch Wishnowsky and Max Duffy from recent draft classes utilized this style of punting before entering the NFL. Of course he was. When a guy leads college football in all major punting statistics including average yards, punt yards per game, punts inside the 20 yard line, and PATs made, he's going to draw NFL draft attention. The LA Chargers could consider drafting Matt Araiza in the 2022 NFL Draft. Former Eagles President and Browns CEO Joe Banner gave his take on how he would approach this unique prospect. Upon arriving at the school, he knocked on the door of the football coach. DB/Specialist Pre-Draft Notes (2022 NFL Draft) by Shane Hallam April 21, 2022 0 520. 12.0Matt Araiza, SDSU (48 Punts)Inside 20 63%Inside 10 27%Touchback 29%Avg. Faalele is from Melbourne, and an assistant coach for Hawaii on a scouting trip to Australia discovered him while he was rehabbing an injury at a local gym. While college kickers take their share of criticism, the level of scrutiny and the ability to quickly lose your job in the NFL requires an exceptional level of equilibrium. . The 2022 NFL draft is a little over two weeks away. At Michigan, he excelled as partner in crime for Aidan Hutchinson, the projected first-overall pick in the upcoming draft. Between high school punting and a love of soccer, he developed a powerful leg that has been comfortably the most powerful in college football this last season. A three-time CIF San Diego State section Kicker of the Year and a sophomore first-team All-American, Araizas athletic accolades werent restricted to the football field. He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. The fact that Araiza can punt, take field goals, and act as the kickoff man for a team is a crucial element of his scouting report. Based on Over The Cap's projections, . Araiza in 2021 booted 79 punts for 4,044 yards for an NCAA-record 51.18 yards per punt. Punter prospects in the NFL Draft are more commonplace than youd presume. Hang time and accuracy are just as important in the NFL. While Araiza had decent success in landing punts inside the 20 this season, he needs to demonstrate consistency in this regard. He was an unanimous All-American and the Ray Guy Award winner in 2021, making FBS history as the single-season leader with 51.19 yards per punt. Araiza's controversial stay in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills is well noted. Scroll through to view photos of P Matt Araiza, Buffalo's pick in the sixth round, 180th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. Fewer punters have been more consistent than the Georgia prospect. NFL Draft Provile. While his power has never been in question, the San Diego State punter displayed accuracy while placing punts with aplomb in front of the eyes of the NFL. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the. against San Jose State in October. As a FG kicker, his completion percentage has declined with every college season. This versatility only adds to his value heading into the NFL Draft since he can be the kickoff specialist as well as fill in as an emergency kicker should the starter suffer an injury during a game. The WCG crew ran through several free agency questions in this roundtable, and today we gave our pick for the signings we want the Bears to avoid.