Zac Al-Khateeb is a content producer for The Sporting News. 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. I recognize that my train of thought may be different from the rest of the league. Araiza also boomed an 86-yard punt last season, which was the longest in college football. That might scare some people given the hype and eventual failures of Roberto Aguayo, but some team will still take a shot on him earlier than the average punter. 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. Talk about ineptitude.) Chicago Bears Schedule, News, Roster and Stats | Windy City Gridiron, 2022 NFL Draft: The Matt Araiza film breakdown, 2023 NFL Combine: Winners from Day 2 of DB workouts. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Showcasing an exceptionally powerful leg, he holds the Penn State field-goal record with a 57-yard strike against Pitt in 2019. 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. Achieving a historic 12-win season and earning a spot in the final College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings brought many advantages for the San Diego State Aztecs. Araiza served as SDSU's placekicker while he was in college, so he's never had to hold. As a San Diego native, there was naturally just one choice. He quickly became a nationally known name after delivering a 82-yard punt in the preseason. (Interestingly, I found out while researching this that Cleveland used second round picks in both 1977 and 1978 to draft a punter. Faalele is from Melbourne, and an assistant coach for Hawaii on a scouting trip to Australia discovered him while he was rehabbing an injury at a local gym. 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. 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). All this high school success mattered very little when it came to the recruiting process. However, what makes Araiza special is that he also kicks field goals and does kickoffs. These traits make for an incredibly impressive athlete, but how would he test at the NFL Combine? Shakir, a fifth-round rookie in 2022, got off to a slow start in his career. That's no fault to the other guys on the offensive or defensive side of the . All the more impressive, the 2021 season was Araiza's first taking on full-time punting duties for the Aztecs. 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. The 2022 NFL Draft is quickly approaching, with the first round kicking off on Thursday, April 28th. 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. Stroud Shares Praise for Justin Fields, Fields former OSU teammate and top draft prospect spoke highly of the Bears QB at a Combine media session, Trevis Gipson to particpate in NFL Career Tours. against San Jose State in October. 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. Meet Matt Araiza, San Diego State punter who could be among the highest-drafted punters of all time, NFL Draft prospects 2022: Updated big board of top 150 players, rankings by position. Punter. 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. That isnt the case with Araiza, who ran pro-style formations at San Diego State. The Packers in 2021 saw Mason Crosby struggle and it may have been the end of his Packers career. Of course, draft analysis, projections and rumors will be dominating the headlines until then. He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. Above is a plot of the average. He created a draft buzz. This season, Araiza has set r. That ability to flip the field to pin opponents deep in their own half, no matter where his own offense stalls out serves as a cheat code. In the first of these predictions pieces, Matt Araiza leads a cast of at least three punters selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. Araiza stands at just over 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds. Redshirting his 2018 season, Araiza learned under San Diego State kicker John Barron II. Stout was slightly ahead of him at 44.5 while Camarda was well below both guys at 41.6. His, was better than many who are projected to be high draft selections, including. In the rare occurrence that one of his kicks is returned, Araiza can be found taking down the returner. Even then, the potential power lingering in his left leg remained lowkey. In our heart of hearts, I can lay my head down at night knowing that Ive tried to do whats right., The best insights from the ultimate insiders, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. 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You dont get the award that celebrates collegiate punting excellence without being exceptional. 2. He kicks returners back a considerable amount that the potential for big returns is still limited. Of course, there were more rounds and selections back then. 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. C.J. Together, they were unblockable. We have an 86 yard punt EIGHTY SIX (CC @RKalland) pic.twitter.com/KIi5d3VTTO. Araiza has as many 80-yard punts in just this season as the NFL has produced since 2013. He showcases very good touch and a repeatable delivery. Thats what teams are still trying to figure out. Talk about flipping the field. The punt went for a touchback, but when you still factor the flipping from San Diego States 21-yard line to Hawaiis 20-yard line, thats still a 59-yard flip with the touchback. Where most people have legs attached to their torso, Araiza has an actual cannon. Of course, Davis didnt need to play third downs at Georgia because the damage was already done on the first two downs. Punts in between the 30s (2021 only):Jordan Stout, Penn State (36 Punts)Inside 20 83%Inside 10 53%Touchback 6%Average Field Pos. holy crap.you know what I just realized? But how high, exactly, can we expect a team to take Araiza, winner of the 2021 Ray Guy Award? Pro Football Network, LLC. Matt Araiza Draft Stock & Draft Projection. 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. A team will take the bet that Faalele can, probably in the first round. Araiza now holds the record for punts of 50+ yards. Round 5 - Philadelphia Eagles (No. Team Contract Type Status Year Signed Yrs Total APY Guarantees That is an incredibly high projection for a special teams player, as punters and kicker often . That is the nickname San Diego State's Matt Araiza has received from his incredible collegiate career. What Matt Araiza did in college football was revolutionary from a position where it's tough to disrupt how the game is played. # . 201. Hawaii had two returners lined up with one much farther back than the traditional return distance and the punt still went over both of their heads. This begs the question: how well will Matt Araiza transition to the NFL? For whatever reason, punters have been a popular position to pick in this year's draft. Camarda has averaged 46.8, 46.6, and 46.7 yards per punt, respectively, over the past three seasons. But now Araiza is gone, released Saturday afternoon, and with the preseason games over, the Bills have to trim . SUBSCRIBEto the Vendetta YouTube Channel! Araizas leg power is also demonstrated as a field goal and kickoff specialist. 2023 NFL Draft Top 25 Big Board: Young No. General manager Tom Telesco spoke to the media on Thursday and was asked about Araiza in the draft. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Both Stout and Camarda carry draftable grades from NFL scouts. Safely draftable and carrying middle-round grades in the league.. He probably wont be the first defensive lineman selected from his own team. He also has the ability to make tackles, with speed and athleticism. Matt Araiza came into the 2022 NFL Draft as a fan favorite. Or so it seems. DB/Specialist Pre-Draft Notes (2022 NFL Draft) by Shane Hallam April 21, 2022 0 520. Araiza is currently averaging 52.2 yards per punt. In yesterdays game, Matt Araiza elevated his NCAA record with his 16th punt of 60+ yards this year. He was a sixth-round pick of the team at the 2022 NFL draft. 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 . San Diego State's Matt Araiza headlines a potentially historic 2022 NFL Draft class with at least three punters picked in our projections. Continue with Recommended Cookies, (Derrick Tuskan/San Diego State Athletics).