Fast Forward: Time to Draft a Kicker

[Typhus]

Never tell Al Davis to not spend draft stock on a kicker.

 

[MWH1967]

spend a 6th on moody and go get another beer.

 

[Jipper]

Maher was playing great until the stupid marking rule change.

If he has changed his routine to remove that element then he might be able to regain his form and confidence.

Bring in some young guys and let's figure it out

 

[Rayman70]

this might be crazy but I'd be fine drafting a kicker in rd 5 as long as its Jake Moody. But if there is a better value guy avail in rd 5, I'd rather do that.

 

[Rayman70]

spend a 6th on moody and go get another beer.

I think thats the sweet spot for a kicker, rd 6..I agree.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Don’t most drafts go with only one or two kickers being drafted?

Seems like a reach in any draft unless there’s some phenom.

I’m so against it ever since I saw that kicker get taken in the second round and bust immediately after….most of these guys are undrafted or late round. Best bet is just to get a veteran who’s proved he can kick and pay up.

 

[slick325]

Dallas had people at the Maryland Pro Day on March 29th. I believe Bones himself was in attendance. They spent a lot of time with Ryland.

I'm a Terp alum so I may be biased, but I would use a late pick on Ryland. I saw a lot of Moody too and like him as well.

 

[MapleLeaf]

Let’s remember the best kicker in the NFL for both accuracy and distance was an UDFA. It’s hard to know who will be a good NFL kicker until they start kicking in the NFL.

The problem with kickers is that their competitive personality is very late forming.

Football in general is a late forming sport. You don't know who you are really going to be until you grow into your body.

Soccer on the other hand is a very early forming sport. That's why the major sports leagues have identification camps at 9-11 years old. Most of the world's best players were already known for a decade before hitting the bright lights of the World Cup.

So what is it that humans form the very latest in their development? We gain our best bodies somewhere in our mid-20's if we aren't a bunch of lazy slobs as teenagers and young men.

But we form our brains under pressure later in life from repeated stressors. We learn how to deal with conditions by actually being in the condition itself.

This is why it is a crap shoot trying to find the next Justin Tucker. You are taking young kids who have literally experienced nothing of serious stress, and trying to figure out if they have the mental fortitude to rise to the moment 3-4 times a game.

Being an NFL kicker is an extremely late forming talent. That is why there are so many failures. You have a higher likelihood of being a successful lineman, running back or line backer.

The worst position in the league is the placekicker because you are more likely to fail more than succeed because the minimum bar of success is so high in the league now.

Just as a point of fact does anyone here know the FG% of the great and immortal Lou Groza? This fact alone will tell you how expectations in the league (coaches and owners) and fans have changed.

 

[fivetwos]

Nick Folk didn’t deliver? That’s what made Jerry gun shy? Dunno about that.

If anything Bailey made them think they could get away with a top UDFA and probably can.

They both just happened to catch a yips case while here before figuring it out elsewhere, but Folk was good for a few years here.

I’m been wanting to spend a Saturday pick on a K for a while, but if we are honest, they have more success lately with day three picks than those of day two…so probably need to fill out the rest of the roster that way, and find an undrafted guy at K.

 

[conner01]

yeah, after last season when Dallas got the TT kicker who i thought would be the one....and wound up stinking the joint. Kickers are a different breed and you just never know about these guys. They all have strong legs, the mental part is what you are judging. Makes it difficult. I would certainly select one of the top kickers in the later rounds and take my chances. Not wait for the UDFA.

It’s a crazy position because a guy can go from good to bad in no time. Such a mental position
I think after the nfl stopped use of disk under the ball it just messed with his head. I think it was all mental
These guys can go off a cliff really fast

 

[quickccc]

late round pick (6th or 7th).. undrafted rookie .....or street FA vet.

The club will put it in hands of McClay & crew to find a suitable FG kicker while consulting Bones Fassel.

 

[TequilaCowboy]

Let’s remember the best kicker in the NFL for both accuracy and distance was an UDFA. It’s hard to know who will be a good NFL kicker until they start kicking in the NFL.

yep, Justin Tucker the ex-Horn...being a UT alum, very familiar with him and thought he was very decent in college but never would have thought he would be this excellent in the NFL. Most kickers have gone into slumps some years, but this guy just keeps kicking like Frances the kicking mule. 90% career average is amazing.

FYI....only one kicker has ever made the HofF....Stenerud. Tucker will be the second five years after he retires.