His, was better than many who are projected to be high draft selections, including. How high is his ceiling at the NFL level? The defense is legitimately good, ranking third in the FBS in yards allowed per play. As Matt Araiza prepares to break positional norms in the 2022 NFL Draft class, his talents as a punter can be traced back to his roots at Rancho Bernardo High in San Diego. One other theory is that teams are afraid Araiza might outkick his coverage in the NFL. He was named to several First and Second All-American Teams by various national media outlets. For his career, Araiza averaged 51.1 yards per punt. Since NFL defenses vary their fronts constantly, Thomas versatility to play inside or outside will give him a boost to climb teams draft boards. According to PFF, Dunkle registered a 38.0 pass-blocking grade and committed two penalties against Arizona and a 55.6 grade against Utah the following week on 18 pass opportunities in each game. Brugler predicts Bellinger will be the second San Diego State player drafted (after Cameron Thomas). Will the Cowboys' big gamble pay off? This is a statement of fact rather than a prediction. Araiza knocked it out of the park, posting numbers comparable to some highly ranked prospects. Its been a huge honor.. Spent pretty much countless hours at that field with my Dad, just practicing all different types of stuff for soccer. What happened to the Giants after Round 1? I just mean Matt Araiza out of San Diego State is maybe the best punter Ive seen in my lifetime and, yet, Baltimore likes Stout., And after Camarda was selected: Am I the only one Araizas the guy we all focused in on.. Araiza broke the all-time record for 60+ yard punts in a single season with 18 altogether. Ray Guy, for whom a college football award is named, was a first-round pick in 1973. Araiza seems like he's going to be a good fit in Buffalo. Foot meets ball; fireworks ensue. Obviously, one of the benefits in my decision to pick San Diego State was being close to home. 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. Im watching for different reasons than San Diego State fans. At SDSU, Aguek Arop has left angels in his wake, There will never be another Aztec like Jesse Matthews, Padres Jackson Merrill keeps earning high praise, Samuel Zavala, rising prospect for the Padres, Broncos with a stellar second half to defeat Aztecs 66-60, Butler the hero as Aztecs stun Lobos, 73-71, Fred McGriff: 29 days until Padres Opening Day, San Diego Loyal sign Adrien Perez to aid attack. He's expected to be one of the players chosen in the 2022 NFL draft next month. In this graphic, there appears to be nearly no association between where a player was selected and his average AV per season. According to Brugler, scouts are not overlooking Bellinger, understanding that the lack of production is more a by-product of the offense San Diego State ran than a lack of talent and ability by Bellinger. Highest Punter Ever Drafted Russell Erxleben was drafted No. Also, a higher average yards per punt does not always mean better sometimes you want to directionally punt, so this can be misleading. By earning the moniker Punt God, attracting the attention of Pat McAfee, and winning the Ray Guy Award, Araiza has elevated punting to national attention while putting himself in the NFL shop window. A story of soccer to San Diego, from punter to Punt God. San Diego. His 39 punts of over 50 yards are a single-season NCAA record, as are his 18 punts of over 60 yards. What was surprising even shocking, to some is that two punters were selected Saturday ahead of Araiza. r collecting 20.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks this past season. Big, big leg. In the past 22 years, there have been several third-round selections at punter. Not only has he shown his prowess as a punter, but Coach Maalouf adds he kicked off as well and was good at it. As mentioned before, Araiza is incredibly versatile and can help the special teams unit in an impactful way. Being close to home as his popularity has grown during this season has also had a tremendous impact on Araiza. While Brugler assesses Dunkles draft stock as a late-round pick based on his questionable athleticism to hold up in pass protection, he believes Dunkle has the play strength to turn defenders in the hole and be a dominant force in a phone booth in the run game. He also rated Dunkle above average in all of the games he studied this year and found him dominant against Air Force and UTSA in the Frisco Bowl. ET. Surely there's some NFL team that takes him earlier than you would expect. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Araiza shattered the all-time record of 32 punts of 50 or more yards in a single season, by achieving 39. The earliest a punter has been selected over that period was the fourth round, the Niners selecting Mitch Wishnowsky. He could have even pursued a career in track after setting high school records in the 110m and 300m hurdles at Rancho Bernardo High School. Behind guard Max Rices 12 straight points at the end, host Broncos score the games final 14 in the final five minutes to stun Aztecs, Stats and storylines to watch on Tuesday night, when San Diego State takes on Boise State at ExtraMile Arena, San Diego State sits on the cusp of a No. Two Arrest Warrants Issued for Potential Top Draft Pick Jalen Carter, Rodgers: 'This Is My Life,' Retirement Decision Will Come 'Soon Enough', Telesco: Keenan Allen Isn't Going Anywhere, Jets GM: 'Lot of Things to Like' About Carr, Bengals: Higgins Trade Rumors 'Ridiculous', Bears GM: Fields Is Our Starting QB in 2023, Joe Thomas: Why It's Time to Put Cameras In Player Interview Rooms, Scouts' Predictions: Small-School Players Who Will Become Household Names, Marc Trestman: Stroud Future Franchise QB, Chris Johnson: Predicting Indy's Fastest 5, Head of Pro Scouting, NFL Player Personnel Executive, One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State Universitys Matt Araiza. 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. To generate that fan base was a really cool experience and it was awesome to see. In the past 25 years, the highest-drafted punter was Bryan Anger, selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 70th pick in the 3rd round. Will Malik Willis develop into a high-end QB for the Titans? He spent time at Qualcomm Stadium watching the San Diego Chargers, enjoying the passionate environment in person but still holding soccer in his heart. He ran track as an underclassman at Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego, and recently told the Union-Tribune that the hurdles helped his footwork on punting. Want to hang out Saturday night? pic.twitter.com/8W8mTfGHTj. John Harbaugh is a former special teams coach and he has a better eye for punters and kickers than any other head coach in the NFL, so if he wanted Stout, you can bet he liked his punting style more than he liked Araiza's booming style. These were certified piss missiles not to be confused with lucky bounces and rolls. Nonetheless, the "Punt God" is headed to the AFC East champions. No one in our family had control over that. We have a ton of connections and basically a ton of people rooting for me on Saturdays which was really fun.. Former Saints punter Thomas Morstead recently explained to the Athletic why that's a concern. Now that hes finally showing off his best skill, hes immediately emerged as a punting legend. Ill kind of get to squash that whole warm-weather kicker thing.. 1, Ohio State linebacker Tom Cousineau, refused to sign with the Bills and instead inked a lucrative deal with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He now holds the record for single-season punt average, with 51.19 yards per punt. Punting you go out there and you swing as hard as you want.. 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. Former Eagles President and Browns CEO Joe Banner gave his take on how he would approach this unique prospect. Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. San Diego State's Matt Araiza is putting punters on the map, and his scouting report reveals why he's a highly rated 2022 NFL Draft prospect. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. Bills get the Punt God in the SIXTH ROUND. Only two punters since 1982 were drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft; Rohn Stark with the 34th pick in 1982 by the Baltimore Colts and Todd Sauerbrun with the 56th pick in 1995 by the Chicago Bears. These traits make for an incredibly impressive athlete, but how would he test at the NFL Combine? I wonder whether at some point they will simply stand farther back. The reality is that Araiza is one of a kind, hence the nicknames Anomaly and Punt God.. Twenty-nine percent of his punts went for touchbacks. I know my personal traits as an athlete, as a football player, as the leading tackler of a top 25 special teams unit. 22 San Diego State at New Mexico, Structure of Manny Machados new contract leaves Padres room to add more big names, Spring training recap: Juan Soto stays hot, Nick Martinez earns extra work in rain-shortened Padres win, Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove fractures big toe in kettlebell accident; timetable for return tough to forecast, Column: Padres roller-coaster day includes Joe Musgrove injury, Manny Machado contract, Fernando Tatis debut, Februarys athletes of the month include CIF hoops and soccer champs, standout grapplers, David Benner, Indiana Pacers longtime PR director, dies, Panthers weighing options as quarterback hunt continues, Tennessee PG Zakai Zeigler suffers season-ending knee injury, Cadiz wants to halt Spanish league after refereeing mistake, Annecy stuns favorite Marseille to reach 1st French Cup semi, No. But Araiza has a rocket launcher for a leg, so for him consistency is making highlights. Its been huge to have that impact on my home town as well. 21, 54 and 85. Bellinger began training with Jeremy Holt, Owner of AthELITE Performance, yesterday in Music City, USA, along with tight ends Chase Allen (Iowa State) and Jake Ferguson (Wisconsin) in preparation for the NFL Draft. However, it was there that the power of his left leg was harnessed with a view to a long-term career goal. Plus Stetson and Duggan as Pros With Trent Dilfer (Bonus Episode). By submitting your email, you agree to our. Hes big. Height 6 and 1 1/8 Averaging 51.19 yards per punt, Araiza is the all-time single-season average punt distance leader. Ray Guy, for whom a college football award is named, was a first-round pick in 1973. Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News, for example, projects Araiza to go 174th overall to the defending AFC champion Bengals. He had an excellent showing in the combine, punting with stunning accuracy before impressing attendees with his sprinting. That shows up when he has to make a tackle. With Camarda now in Tampa, that likely spells the end of Bradley Pinion's three-year run with the. A fourth player, senior Daniel Bellinger, also took the next step in his career rather than return to SDSU for a super senior season. Most punters dont achieve that distance in a career. He has shown that he can line up on the inside shade of the guard, and he can win on the interior because he has that quickness, said Brugler. Bill Belichick has a notable fixation on left-footed kickers. In the season opener against New Mexico State, Araiza boomed a 77-yarder. The first specialist chosen was LSU kicker Cade York, who went to Cleveland in the fourth round, six picks before Stout was taken. Araiza should win the Ray Guy Award, which goes to the nations best punter. But the Celtics Brogdon is mounting a well-rounded campaign that hearkens back to some of the earliest Sixth Men. Araizas potential as a kicker and punter was immediately obvious at Rancho Bernardo. Araiza addressed the issue at the NFL Combine and SDSUs Pro Day, where he boomed punts that had a hang time as much as 5.3 seconds (the NFL average is 4.3 seconds). This reinforces the significance of gross versus net punting averages. 2:39 pm ET. Hes quick to find the football, and hes always in pursuit mode.. That was definitely my first love. With the new changes to the touchback rules, pretty much every kickoff is a touchback. And starting this fall, San Diego State also tasked Araiza with doing the thing that he was put on this earth to do: punt the football. Which teams helped themselves in Las Vegas -- and which teams are trending in the wrong direction? Several other three-round mock drafts have slotted Thomas from the first round to not listed. With the 2022 NFL Draft in the books, Adam Schein breaks down what he loved and loathed from the league's Vegas venture. The Punt God is averaging far more yards per punt than Anger did his senior year. He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. 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. But colleges dont scout kickers based on who makes the most high school field goals; they scout guys who come recommended by kicking coaches, who often assess only players who paid to go to their camps. And its not because its Jordan Stout. As for Araiza, the Bills could potentially be getting a steal with their selection of the player known as "Punt God.". Overflowing with accolades and a pious sobriquet, San Diego State punter Matt Araiza is going from the sunny skies of Southern California to the wintery winds of Buffalo, as the Bills selected him with the No. All You Touch and All You See: Dark Side of the Moon at 50. Neutral Media. This is understood by several NFL football squads, which is why he has become a hot item on many teams big boards, chiefly the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. In 2021, the Bills only punted a total of 52 times, which was tied for the fifth-lowest total in the NFL. He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs, setting the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season record for average punt yardage as a junior. This is the most yards per punt a player has ever averaged in a single NCAA season, illustrating his sheer dominance. Freshman year of high school. Has to make a tackle a college football award is named, was better than many who are to! Ranking third in the 2022 NFL draft next month a total of 52 times, which tied! Afc East champions so for him consistency is making highlights of 32 punts of over 60 yards punter Ever Russell! Guy, for example, projects Araiza to go 174th overall to the AFC East.! 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