Mocks. Redshirting his 2018 season, Araiza learned under San Diego State kicker John Barron II. Where most people have legs attached to their torso, Araiza has an actual cannon. As Araiza prepares to break positional norms in the 2022 NFL Draft class, his prolific performances as a punter can be traced back to his roots at Rancho Bernardo High in San Diego. Matt Araiza Draft Profile: Stats, Highlights, 2022 NFL Draft Projection Zac Al-Khateeb is a content producer for The Sporting News. Punter Bryan Anger famously went five picks before Russell Wilson in 2012 with the 70th overall pick. 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. These primarily center around consistency. 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. General manager Tom Telesco spoke to the media on Thursday and was asked about Araiza in the draft. SDSU Aztecs in the 2022 NFL Draft | East Village Times Former Saints punter Thomas Morstead recently explained to the Athletic why that's a concern. Many even called him the 'Punt God.' Nicknamed "Punt God," the San Diego State product became well known for booming punts 80 yards and averaging an NCAA-record 51.19 yards . The left-footer with the big leg has been widely projected by draft analysts as the top . Matt Araiza, punter, San Diego State . Matt Araiza came into the 2022 NFL Draft as a fan favorite. "He was like, 'You're outkicking your coverage. Thats what teams are still trying to figure out. The biggest surprise is that college football's top punter, Matt Araiza, wasn't the first punter off the board this year. Matt Araiza Draft and Combine Prospect Profile | NFL.com It's not clear why Araiza dropped all the way down to the sixth round, but there are plenty of theories. If I can get my punter as an UDFA instead of using a draft selection on him, that would be preferable.. School: San Diego State. He also set the FBS mark for 50-yard punts with his 33rd of the season. The San Diego State punter has a career-long 53-yard field goal to his name. Since 2000, just two draft classes (2017 and 2011) have not had a punter selected to the NFL. For this reason, I believe its time for me to do something Ive only done once before: a special teamer breakdown. Punt God. 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. I recognize that my train of thought may be different from the rest of the league. Ethan Sears. In a sign of things to come at the collegiate level, his 37 career field goals set a San Diego Section record. MORE:NFL Draft prospects 2022: Updated big board of top 150 players, rankings by position. The TCU Horned Frogs and the Georgia Bulldogs will tie a bow on the After a pair of epic College Football Playoff Semifinals on New Years Eve, the Arnold Classic 2023 Live Online: How To watch From Anywhere, Where To Watch Tim Hortons Brier 2023 Live Online, Curling Update: How To watch Tim Hortons Brier 2023 Live Here, Rough N Rowdy 20: Preview, Fight Card, Venue and Live Online, Ian Garry vs Song Kenan Prediction, UFC 285 Card, Betting Odds and Picks, Where To Watch Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury Live Free Online, South American U-20 Championship 2023 Live Online For Final day, 2023 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Final Day Live TV Channel, Super Bowl Coin Toss Results History, Betting Odds and Props 2023, Best Super Bowl Halftime Show Prop Bets and Picks. 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. The temptation to declare it the greatest punting class of all time is understandable. Landing both prospects would fill position needs, but that's a dream scenario because Gardner will likely be long gone if the Chargers decide to stay at No. Among the players expected to hear his name is punter Matt Araiza out of San Diego State. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. Look how Hawaii prepped for Matt Araiza. Even these statistical accomplishments usually wouldnt attract the adoration that Araiza has received in this NFL Draft process. At the very least, remember the name Matt Araiza and the punt god designation following him. Bills release punter Matt Araiza after gang rape allegation No punter has been selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft since 1995. In his first season, Araiza handled kicking and kickoff duties, as his punting prowess remained hidden. For reference, the NFL single-season record for average punt is 51.4 yards. In 1976 and 1978, a whopping eight punters were drafted. He quantified the athletic ability displayed on punt return coverage with an excellent showing at the NFL Combine. They call him Punt God. 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 | 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. That said, it appears unlikely that Araiza will be a realistic target for them unless he somehow falls to Round 5. The Punt God has a legitimate shot at being a day two selection. As a matter of fact, he already seems to be fully embracing his new team. Former Bills punter Matt Araiza could be in big trouble in gang-rape 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. But how have other drafted punters panned out in the NFL? Former San Diego State Punter Matt Araiza Discusses NFL Future - NBC 7 DATABASE. In 2019, he hit 84.6% of his kicks. 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. Matt Araiza, Buffalo Bills, P - News, Stats, Bio - CBSSports.com Such a talented punter can serve as a valuable asset for a defense, as burying the opposing offense deep into their own territory makes their lives a lot easier. No other punter in history has more 50+ and 60+ yard punts in a single season. The truth of the matter, however, is that Araiza is just the tip of the iceberg of a talented punting class. But how have other drafted punters panned out in the NFL? Despite Araiza's incredible 2021 season, he is not expected to be among the highest-drafted punters of all time. Of course he was. Araiza now holds the record for punts of 50+ yards. NFL Draft: 6 Former Aztecs Among Hopefuls Vying for a Place in the Pros Matt Araiza #19 of the Buffalo Bills takes the field during practice on Aug. 5, 2022, in Orchard Park, New York. The 2022 NFL draft is a little over two weeks away. Araiza has made three 50-yard field goals so far this season, the second most in NCAA football. Araiza has a pure fourth-round grade on my board, and he is one point away in my grading scale from what would be considered the greatest punting prospect of all time. His 51.2 yards per punt is the most in a single season by any college punter in the history of the sport. Araiza, who was released by the Bills on Saturday, was accused of being involved in the gang rape of a 17-year-old, with details coming to light after a lawsuit was filed in San Diego County Superior Court accusing Araiza and two of his teammates at San Diego State. And yet, the prediction of a multiple-punter class in the 2022 NFL Draft might surprise a few people. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, at Above is a plot of the average. No other punter has nailed two 80+ yard punts in 2021. Some draft projections have listed Araiza as a potential Day 2 selection, when rounds 2-3 will be conducted. The biggest surprise is that college football's top punter, Matt Araiza, wasn't the first punter off the board this year. Showcasing an exceptionally powerful leg, he holds the Penn State field-goal record with a 57-yard strike against Pitt in 2019. The relationship is not close to being statistically significant here, and the R-squared value is almost negligible. 17 for the first round of the draft. As a FG kicker, his completion percentage has declined with every college season. 2022 NFL Draft Predictions: Matt Araiza leads class of at least three PFN Draft Analyst Tony Pauline has Araiza graded as a top-100 player on his latest big board. You cant even tell that traveling more than 60 yards through the air is a difficult task for a punter by how easy Araiza makes it look. Matt Araiza is San Diego State's record-setting punter. With his record-breaking antics and social media ascension to Punt God, San Diego State punter Matt Araiza is making special teams sexy again. A fifth-round selection for Araiza would not be particularly noteworthy in the history of punters taken in the NFL draft. Matt Araiza NFL Draft Predictions, Stats & Profile - The Duel Punt God and a 387lb Aussie: the 2022 NFL draft's most intriguing prospects That includes CBSSports.com, which lists Araiza as the 126th prospect in the draft. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. He also has the FBS record for 60+ yard punts. Talk about ineptitude.) No wonder the "punt god" is generating NFL draft buzz. The only question now is whether the franchise that selects him is stocked up on enough XXXXXXXXL gear. 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. Possesses a monster leg, gets tremendous hang time on punts, and allows coverage teams to get downfield and make the play. You must be logged in to post a comment The likes of Mitch Wishnowsky and Max Duffy from recent draft classes utilized this style of punting before entering the NFL. There have been multiple third-round selections, while FSU punter John Stark was a second-round choice in 1982. However, that doesnt mean that his scouting report doesnt reveal some areas for improvement. 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. The San Diego State redshirt junior did so by setting an NCAA record with 36 punts of . We're not controlling field position.' These traits make for an incredibly impressive athlete, but how would he test at the NFL Combine? Following a flourish of free agency action, theres a clearer picture of NFL team needs. In this graphic, there appears to be nearly no association between where a player was selected and his average AV per season. As a San Diego native, there was naturally just one choice. Other Aztecs are also headed for the NFL Draft as well. San Diego State wasnt prepared for this 10-man rush of the punter, but that didnt matter to Araiza. Reportedly other teams did. In fact, there hasnt been an NFL starter in the 21st century built as big as the Aussie. But how high, exactly, can we expect a team to take Araiza, winner of the 2021 Ray Guy Award? Carson Strong has a great arm but teams will worry about his injury history. Araizas punting style with a nose-down punt leaves improvement for coffin corners. He probably wont be the first defensive lineman selected from his own team. If Im punting five to seven times per game and the disparity in average yards is just a few, this doesnt translate to that significant of a difference overall. That's no fault to the other guys on the offensive or defensive side of the . 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. (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images) He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. SUBSCRIBEto the Vendetta YouTube Channel! Bills claim that they knew nothing of Matt Araiza allegations seems At 6ft 9in (!) Araiza also boomed an 86-yard punt last season, which was the longest in college football. The LA Chargers could consider drafting Matt Araiza in the 2022 NFL Draft. This power was proved in the 2021 season, as he had 18 punts of 60+ yards and two of 80+ yards. Hes not just the last line of defense, either. The roster has been set for awhile in the defensive trenches. NFL draft projection. Davis was the force behind college footballs most dominant defense last season, fueling a Georgia group that carried their team to the national championship. He was a sixth-round pick of the team at the 2022 NFL draft. Thanks for contacting us. 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. It's probable that he would have hit a fourth for 55 yards . The victims lawyer, Dan Gilleon, said the Bills also ignored his warnings about Araiza in late July. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season.