#Bills #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/EA1iEWkdyA. 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. Before the 2022 NFL Draft, NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein projected Araiza to go in the third round. Other Aztecs are also headed for the NFL Draft as well. San Diego State. I didnt know what a first down was or anything, Faalele told ESPN in 2018. Two NFL teams had Matt Araiza red flags before draft. Hutchinson was an effort player; Ojabo the beat-them-out-of-their-cleats, vintage, get-off-and-go rusher. Of course, Davis didnt need to play third downs at Georgia because the damage was already done on the first two downs. If that seems confusing/odd/laughable (delete as applicable), think about this: In 2021 he hit 18 punts of 60-plus yards and a pair of 80-plus yarders. Where most people have legs attached to their torso, Araiza has an actual cannon. Before we produce the punting protagonists of this 2022 NFL Draft prediction, its worth discussing the place this class could hold in NFL history. Matt Araiza was selected in the sixth-round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He maintained composure in a penetrated backfield, and he was able to send the ball 65 yards through the air with ease. Of course, draft analysis, projections and rumors will be dominating the headlines until then. Hes a talented guy who should help with winning the field position category., However, just like any other special teams prospect, Coach Maalouf believes the San Diego State product should be worked out by coaches. This season Araiza hasnt had a single kick punt or field goal blocked. As a junior, Araiza would be eligible for the NFL Draft in both 2022 and 2023. 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. Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux will feature as top picks later this month. Stop by our 2nd City Gridiron YouTube channel for Bear Bones LIVE at FIVE as we get in on some mock draft fun! 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 list of accomplishments is unreal. Araiza has a cannon for a leg, shown with his. ), wins college football weekend, deserves the Heisman . His 32 vertical jump was the same as Chris Olave, our 15th-highest-ranked prospect. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). At 6ft 9in (!) But now Araiza is gone, released Saturday afternoon, and with the preseason games over, the Bills have to trim . Could Matt Araiza be the next one? With his power and quick punting style, gunners often have minimal time to cover Araizas punts. Tracker; Grades; Spending; Tenders; Draft. Matt Araiza had two punts of more than 80 yards last season, including an 86-yarder that was the longest punt in college football. The following is a complete Matt Araiza NFL Draft profile, including stats, highlights and a mock projection. 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 | Although there's some concern that Araiza's booming punts could lead to him outkicking his coverage, San Diego State seemed to do just fine covering his punts. NFL GMs have got to love that. Manage Settings Four punters were chosen in the 2016 NFL Draft. They both feature within draftable range on my recently released 2022 NFL Draft Top 300 Big Board. As for Araiza, the Bills could potentially be getting a steal with their selection of the player known as "Punt God.". 2023 Mock Drafts 2024 Mock Drafts 2025 Mock Drafts. 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 . Before the 2022 NFL Draft, NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein projected Araiza to go in the third round. The Bears find themselves not only needing a new punter to replace Pat ODonnell and compete with Ryan Winslow, but they also have several other needs on the roster. The Buffalo Bills have claimed they did not know about allegations recently made in a lawsuit against former punter Matt Araiza prior to the 2022 NFL draft. Im tougher, stronger, more athletic than Odafe Oweh. In fact, there hasnt been an NFL starter in the 21st century built as big as the Aussie. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. 154) - 1 - Cincinnati Bengals (No. Many even called him the 'Punt God.' Araiza can be quite a weapon for NFL teams adding a punter in the 2022 draft. Ethan Sears. Araiza now holds the record for punts of 50+ yards. All Combine and Draft-Related Analysis, News, Video, and Biographical Information for Matt Araiza 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. The LA Chargers have 11 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft and there is a chance that the team could draft San Diego State punter Matt Araiza. 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. NFL punter Matt Araiza and two San Diego State football players accused in gang-rape lawsuit. Carson Strong has a great arm but teams will worry about his injury history. In 2019, he hit 84.6% of his kicks. This power was proved in the 2021 season, as he had 18 punts of 60+ yards and two of 80+ yards. All Rights Reserved. What Matt Araiza did in college football was revolutionary from a position where it's tough to disrupt how the game is played. The Buffalo Bills had no choice but to cut their youngpunter after so badly botching their response to our claim, Gilleon said in a statement, per the AP. Of course, draft analysis, projections and rumors will be dominating the headlines until then. 12.0Matt Araiza, SDSU (48 Punts)Inside 20 63%Inside 10 27%Touchback 29%Avg. But when you boom not just one, but two punts over 80 yards, you earn some attention. Matt Araiza, Daniel Bellinger and Cameron Thomas, though, have gotten the most buzz . The big-legged San Diego native is considered one of the best prospects at his position in years and many are eager to see where he lands. Being a left-footed punter, teams will have to adjust their formations to help fit his needs. Araizas leg power is also demonstrated as a field goal and kickoff specialist. Team Contract Type Status Year Signed Yrs Total APY Guarantees One theory on why he fell is because he's never held for extra point or field goals. Using AV from Pro-Football-Reference, this somewhat normalizes the impact of a punter on his team. (Interestingly, I found out while researching this that Cleveland used second round picks in both 1977 and 1978 to draft a punter. He gets the ball off quickly and generates an insane amount of force from his left leg. Its time to look at five of the upcoming classs most intriguing (rather than the best) prospects. No punter has been selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft since 1995. However, what makes Araiza special is that he also kicks field goals and does kickoffs. The Bills may not have knownaboutthe allegations hanging over punter Matt Araiza when they drafted him, but at least two other teams had an inkling that something had happened. Hes unlikely to be the first defensive lineman off the board. Through the first 180 picks, there were more punters selected (3) than were taken in the entire 2021 draft combined (The Steelers selection of Pressley Harvin was the only punter pick last year). The San Diego, California native has a. as the Aztecs kicker. Fewer punters have been more consistent than the Georgia prospect. Shakir, a fifth-round rookie in 2022, got off to a slow start in his career. Araiza also succeeds as a kickoff specialist, recording 62 touchbacks on 73 attempts. 2. The Packers in 2021 saw Mason Crosby struggle and it may have been the end of his Packers career. From his own end zone here, he manages to kick the ball roughly 70 yards through the air, and it bounces enough to make it an 86-yard punt in the stat book. In yesterdays game, Matt Araiza elevated his NCAA record with his 16th punt of 60+ yards this year. Whoever drafts him could be ending up with a perennial All-Pro talent. Youll see here part of what makes Araiza so special. 1. 901 Although he was the top punting prospect in the draft, Araiza ended up being the third punter selected. 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. Before you scoff at this notion and dismiss it based on the allegation that Reeder is a "terrible" NFL player who wasn't even drafted, let's look at how the 2 players measure up. But there are questions about Davis viability at the NFL level. The relationship is not close to being statistically significant here, and the R-squared value is almost negligible. Can he shuffle his size-18 feet quickly enough to keep up with Von Miller off the edge? Furthermore, its reported that Araiza routinely makes kicks from 50+ in practice. 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. Surely theres some NFL team that takes him earlier than you would expect. the 341 lb Davis ran the 40-yard dash in 4.78 seconds. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. While Araiza had decent success in landing punts inside the 20 this season, he needs to demonstrate consistency in this regard. 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. He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. 1 pick, Richardson logs colossal measurements at combine, Commanders rip 'blatantly false' team sale report, Top QB in draft has one team he doesn't want to play for. Araiza has a cannon for a leg, shown with his 86-yard punt against San Jose State in October. Incredible run. 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. Inconsistent accuracy on his field goals. Matt Araiza NFL Draft projections. With the NFL Draft fast approaching, six former San Diego State players soon may learn their football fates. Here's everything you need to know about Araiza heading into the 2022 NFL Draft. By. Nicknamed "Punt God," the San Diego State product became well known for booming punts 80 yards and averaging an NCAA-record 51.19 yards . This season, Araiza has set r. Do you mind if I try playing football?. Dicker The Kicker has a 46.3-yard career punting average and 75.9% career field-goal completion. Despite those struggles. Araiza stands at just over 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds. 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. The number of seasons for each punter includes every season where at least half of a season was played. Brugler's take: The Ray Guy Award winner last season, Araiza has a booming leg and showed it off as a punter and kicker (field goals, extra points, kickoffs . The number of seasons for each punter includes every season where at least half of a season was played. "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. Matt Araiza 2022 NFL Draft Profile. . It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. 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. That is an incredibly high projection for a special teams player, as punters and kicker often . 201. Among the players expected to hear his name is punter Matt Araiza out of San Diego State. Now, he is one of the rarest prospects in football: a punter with buzz. No other punter has nailed two 80+ yard punts in 2021. After the horrendous playoff performance, the Packers . Obviously, the ability to pin your opponent deep in their own territory represents a significant advantage. There have only been 10 punts of 80 yards in the entirety of college football this century. 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. For whatever reason, punters have been a popular position to pick in this year's draft. Certainly, the conversation around Araiza as a potential Day 2 prospect fuels that narrative. That hasn't happened for a punter since 2012, when Jacksonville selected Cal's . 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. You must be logged in to post a comment Lets start with the obvious. Pro Football Network, LLC. 2022 NFL Draft Predictions: Matt Araiza leads class of at least three punters picked, The punter prospects projected to be drafted in this 2022 NFL Draft prediction, Ryan Stonehouse and Cameron Dicker round out punter predictions for the 2022 NFL Draft.