But if the Aztecs go undefeated, and Araiza remains their most valuable player, shouldnt he get something more? His older brother has long thought so. Im excited to go to a winning team, Super Bowl favorites, that will be awesome, Ariaza said by phone after the draft. We were all kind of surprised. While he played the edge role in San Diego States 3-man defensive line, Brugler sees Thomas best positional fit in the NFL as a defensive end in a 4-3 with the ability to kick inside on passing downs. 180 overall pick in the sixth round on Saturday. His 32 vertical jump was the same as Chris Olave, our 15th-highest-ranked prospect. 130) and Georgia's Jake Camarda to the Buccaneers (fourth round, No. Maybe hell hit one 90 yards this week! San Diego State hosts Fresno State on Saturday night. Bellinger recently signed with JB Sports, Inc., the same agency that represents, Dunkle declared for the NFL Draft after finishing the season with a. , the highest by an offensive lineman since Pro Football Focus (PFF) began tracking the metric. He had an excellent showing in the combine, punting with stunning accuracy before impressing attendees with his sprinting. Youd think the players at Air Force would be used to dealing with airborne projectiles, but the punt returner just watched as the ball flew over his head. Its been a huge honor.. The man they call 'Punt God' is going to be the first punter off of the board in the upcoming draft and could go as early as Day 2. San Diego State punter Matt Araiza has created a loyal following with his ridiculously strong leg. Araiza may be the greatest college punter of all time. In 2019, he made 84.6% of his kicks. Teams are not drafting you based on what you have done, notes Brugler. By Oliver Hodgkinson April 14, 2022 Jump Around This Article Click to show Punters are NFL Draft prospects, too always have been, always will be. The Punter That Was Promised has arrivedwell be seeing his highlights for years to come. You can go as far as your work ethic can take you. So, I think that was probably when I knew I had a shot.. Will another aggressive draft by Mickey Loomis pay off for the Saints? Araiza is a punter by positional designation only - he also kicks field goals and takes San Diego State's kickoffs. 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. The first two punters went off the board in the fourth round with the Ravens selecting Jordan Stout and the Buccaneers taking Jake Camarda. Please enter a valid email and try again. Avid sports fan and historian of basketball, baseball, football and soccer. And what's up with the Commanders' value assessment? That was probably the year that started all this momentum towards success on the football field.. But whats the legacy of the blockbuster album? Freshman year of high school. 5 or 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which could be the difference between facing a mid-major or power conference opponent, What exactly the Aztecs drew up for Lamont Butler, what got Darrion Trammell going, and keeping an eye on whether Brian Dutchers alma mater needs a new coach, Lamont Butlers 3-pointer at the buzzer beats New Mexico and means the Aztecs can win the Mountain West title outright with one win in their final two games, Everything you need to know about Saturday nights showdown between the Aztecs and Lobos at the Pit in Albuquerque, Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our NewslettersSite Map, Copyright 2023, The San Diego Union-Tribune |. So, what's next for this group -- in 2022 and beyond? Dunkle also earned First Team All-American by Pro Football Network and Second Team All-American by the Associated Press. Not only did Matt Araiza launch a punt, but he also made the tackle (via @CBSSportsNet) #ForTheBrand | @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/r1BvgmKKjS. Bucky Brooks highlights 10 perfect rookie-team fits from the 2022 NFL Draft. The current Ray Guy Award winner is no stranger to accolades. Im pretty confident in that regard.. At some positions, NFL teams can struggle to identify the best players. That was definitely my first love. A kicker or punter has never finished in the top 10 of Heisman Trophy voting, but thats just because they fashioned the statue after a guy running instead of a guy punting. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. Araiza's punts helped the San Diego State product earn the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's top college punter, as he set NCAA records for punting average (51.2 per punt), punts over 50 . But, I knew I had the potential and once I got rocking and rolling, everything would work out as it did.. Kicking? All Rights Reserved. Logically, the first media question to. Now that hes finally showing off his best skill, hes immediately emerged as a punting legend. released on November 30, 2021, Brugler slotted Thomas to the Dallas Cowboys with the 25th pick of the first round, adding, Thomas has been nearly unblockable this season for the Aztecs, currently leading college football with 72 pressures., Thomas won the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year afte. 40-yard time 4.68 seconds Since NFL defenses vary their fronts constantly, Thomas versatility to play inside or outside will give him a boost to climb teams draft boards. Araiza had a 6.09 Prospect Grade on NFL.com, compared to 5.99 for Stout and 5.85 for Camarda. How Far Can This Version of James Harden Take the Sixers? There will be a big red circle on that day on my calendar. Not only has he shown his prowess as a punter, but Coach Maalouf adds he kicked off as well and was good at it. Above is a plot of the average Approximate Value (AV) of a punter per season who has been drafted in the last 15 seasons. Araizas ascension to the summit of his position and the attention that has come with it has been one of the storylines of the college football season. But then came the 50-, 60-, 70-. He's hit more 60-yard punts this year than anyone ever. Dunkle declared for the NFL Draft after finishing the season with a 98.8 run-blocking grade, the highest by an offensive lineman since Pro Football Focus (PFF) began tracking the metric. We have an 86 yard punt EIGHTY SIX (CC @RKalland) pic.twitter.com/KIi5d3VTTO. His, was better than many who are projected to be high draft selections, including. It was a special team, and a special group I got to be a part of. The draft was held May 34, 1979, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, New York. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! From the aforementioned information, it appears that Araiza is an elite punting prospect. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the 2021 Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football. Show me in the rule book where it says a punter cant win the Heisman! It isnt much of a challenge anymore. Brugler assesses that Araiza, the top punter in the draft, will likely be a Day 3 draftee (rounds four through seven) and could go early in Day 3 depending on how impressive he performs during team workouts. An all-around special teams contributor, the 2021 unanimous All-American had kickoff duties for San Diego State. It wasnt surprising that San Diego State punter Matt Araiza lasted until the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, where the Buffalo Bills chose Araiza. 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. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC South team. The first specialist chosen was LSU kicker Cade York, who went to Cleveland in the fourth round, six picks before Stout was taken. 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). Pat McAfee later called the Big Punt a Piss Missile, which is just about the highest honor a punter can receive. A former San Diego State Football Player Nowlin Ewaliko turned himself into the Police for a very sick Crime. But he still wasnt punting. Bills get the Punt God in the SIXTH ROUND. All that matters is watching him boom footballs as far as he can. San Diego State ranks seventh in overall special teams FEI, which takes into account all aspects of special teams. Punters dont try to make highlights. By Oliver Hodgkinson January 31, 2022 Jump around this article Click to show Matt Araiza is not your average NFL Draft prospect. He's the first SDSU player drafted by Buffalo since . With this one punt, Araiza won the college football weekend:. Is Araiza the Punter That Was Promised? This begs the question: how well will Matt Araiza transition to the NFL? Certainly, a benefit for Araiza is his ability to also excel at kickoffs and handle place-kicking duties if necessary, providing more reason to use a middle-round pick on the Ray Guy Award winner. And, thats kind of where the ability with my feet come from.. Araiza also played cornerback for a while. Araiza managed six punts over 70 yards and two in excess of 80 yards. I never saw that coming. His 39 punts of over 50 yards are a single-season NCAA record, as are his 18 punts of over 60 yards. Except, maybe Araiza himself. It was awesome. Pro Football Network strives to passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and exceptional football content. But when the ball came off of his foot in the thin Rocky Mountain air of Colorado Springs, the San Diego State punter surprised even himself. He also boomed an 86-yarder against San Jose State at sea level. This is a statement of fact rather than a prediction. In the case that his placekicks were returned, which was the exception and not the rule (84.93% touchback rate in 2021), he had an uncanny knack for then taking down the receiver, thanks in part to his high school track skills. The San Diego, California native has a. as the Aztecs kicker. Of course you would use a first-round pick on the Punter That Was Promised. (AV) of a punter per season who has been drafted in the last 15 seasons. Araiza projects as a punter, because thats where hes setting records, and because hes a lefty. That shows up when he has to make a tackle. I dont want it to be in the same corner of the country my whole life. DUDE HE PUNTED IT FROM THE END ZONE TO THE OPPOSING 18-YARD LINE ON THE FLYTHIS GUY IS THE GREATEST PUNTER OF ALL TIME pic.twitter.com/ED5OyqZ83k, Rancho Bernardo Alumni Matt Araiza with a 75 Yard Punt for SDSU pic.twitter.com/XPHfBMz468, Inexplicably, Matt Araiza did not win Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week despite having one of the best punting games in NCAA history. The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State Universitys Matt Araiza. Early success formed a catalyst for what was to come later. Then theres his NFL potential: Just how high will Araiza be drafted? Bellingers seasonal production did not overtly scream NFL caliber tight end, finishing 2021 with 31 receptions for 357 yards and only two touchdowns. Only one punter, Pressley Harvin III, was drafted last year, taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 254th pick (7th round). "For a specialist, it's so random," Araiza said. I already know Ill be playing one of the those teams (at Baltimore) this upcoming season. Araizas leg strength is remarkable; however, he will need to cut down on the power in certain instances to further achieve NFL success. Who does Brady Hoke think is the MVP of the undefeated @AztecFB ?The answer may surprise some, but not if youve been watching SDSU & @matt_araiza More from Hoke tonight @footballnightsd @nbcsandiego @GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/6Vh3f56Ms7. The Punter That Was Promised would be the most valuable player in football by a wide margin. At the end of Araizas senior season at Rancho Bernardo, he hadnt gotten any scholarship offers, and was still considering soccer as a pathway to his future. ET. His big brother saw it on a random field in San Diego, and he set records as soon as he started to kick in high school and college. 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. In this graphic, there appears to be nearly no association between where a player was selected and his average AV per season. 16.0. I know how I did at the combine. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season. But the answer is simple: yes. Matt Araiza is not your average NFL Draft prospect. Playing sports is what I love. The Buffalo Bills held the first overall pick in the draft, acquired from the San Francisco 49ers in the trade which sent O. J. Simpson to his hometown team. MORE:NFL Draft prospects 2022: Updated big board of top 150 players, rankings by position. As for being the third punter drafted? Lets take a look. Araiza has as many 80-plus-yard punts in the past two weeks as every punter in the NFL has in the past 10 seasons combined. Araiza is one of just four FBS players handling kicks, punts, and kickoffs this season. Will the Cowboys' big gamble pay off? Copyright 2019-2023. The reality is that Araiza is one of a kind, hence the nicknames Anomaly and Punt God.. As for Araiza, the Bills could potentially be getting a steal with their selection of the player known as "Punt God.". Well, that was just a way onto the football roster. Is MJF the Second Coming of CM Punk? Its been huge to have that impact on my home town as well. Soon after San Diego State's bowl win in December, Araiza declared early for the drafta rarity for a punterand began the transition from player to prospect. I remember talking to my friends and family about it really early on, How cool would it be to even just be a finalist? It was a cool progression to make, visualizing it in the beginning and then it becoming a reality was an honor.. All the more impressive, the 2021 season was Araiza's first taking on full-time punting duties for the Aztecs. Field Pos. , given to the best punter in college football. A hundred percent, a hundred percent, said Araiza, who watched the draft from home with family and friends. By submitting your email, you agree to our. A story of soccer to San Diego, from punter to Punt God. 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. The San Diego State punter was better than Camarda in almost every metric last season. Dan Hanzus takes stock of the NFL hierarchy with his post-draft Power Rankings. Bellinger will have a massive opportunity to show teams that he should be drafted in the top 100 like his former tight end mate, starting with the Senior Bowl and then the NFL Combine. San Diego States Matt Araiza is having the greatest punting season in college football history. No wonder the "punt god" is generating NFL draft buzz. From the aforementioned information, it appears that Araiza is an elite punting prospect. The San Diego State punter is logical and industrious in his approach to the game both on and off the field. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC West team. San Diego State Aztecs punter Matt Araiza has been the talk of the college football universe this season, with his ridiculous distance and precision playing a major role in San Diego State's victories. Highest Punter Ever Drafted Russell Erxleben was drafted No. #Bills #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/EA1iEWkdyA. Araiza could have pursued soccer as a career. The one thing I dont think I ever realized was the level of popularity. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. SIGN UP NOW: $1,000 risk-free on FanDuel Sportsbook! Hang time was the primary concern for Araiza in the weeks and months leading up to the draft. Aztecs head coach Brady Hoke recently said that Araiza is the teams MVP. Did one NFC West team just accumulate more prospect talent than the rest of the division combined? Matt Araiza is a certifiable weapon. Bellinger recently signed with JB Sports, Inc., the same agency that represents San Francisco 49ers tight end, George Kittle. What I was asked to do was different from a skill set (perspective) than maybe other players have. EVT caught up with Dane Brugler, NFL Draft Analyst for The Athletic, to gain some insight on how teams are evaluating the Aztecs enrollees as the draft process is set to begin. Banners rationale is driven by the notion of replacement value. Some games you get a bunch of short field goals, he says. Bill Belichick has a notable fixation on left-footed kickers. Nonetheless, the "Punt God" is headed to the AFC East champions. This might have been due to a tendency by head coach Brady Hoke to put him in aggressive scoring situations, asking Araiza to attempt many tries from 40 yards and beyond in later seasons (he was 3-of-9 from 50+ yards in 2021). Go as far as he can about the highest honor a punter per season exciting prospects in the past seasons... For this group -- in 2022 and beyond it & # x27 ; s so random, & quot for. 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Watching him boom footballs as far as your work ethic can take you finishing 2021 with 31 receptions 357! Coach Brady Hoke recently said that Araiza is one of the division?! The division combined held a supplemental draft after the regular season quot ; for very... His 32 vertical jump was the procedure by which National football League teams selected amateur college football be part! Show me in the same corner of the NFL punts this year than anyone ever 2022 jump around this Click... With his ridiculously strong leg seasons combined accuracy before impressing attendees with his ridiculously strong leg replacement! Games you get a bunch of short field goals, he says you would use a pick! With the Commanders ' value assessment skill, hes immediately emerged as a legend!
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