While a running start can provide for more power, power is far from an issue with Araiza. His 32 vertical jump was the same as Chris Olave, our 15th-highest-ranked prospect. Chatter among leaky scouts has suggested that Faalele may be too big to play tackle in the league, that he will struggle to dip and sink to wall off the leagues premier dip-and-rip pass-rushers. Since 2000, just two draft classes (2017 and 2011) have not had a punter selected to the NFL. On Aug. 25 shortly after the team awarded Araiza the starting punting job, he was accused of being part of a gang raping of a 17-year-old girl while he attended San Diego State, according to the Los Angeles Times. Possesses a monster leg, gets tremendous hang time on punts, and allows coverage teams to get downfield and make the play. . 2023 Mock Drafts 2024 Mock Drafts 2025 Mock Drafts. These traits make for an incredibly impressive athlete, but how would he test at the NFL Combine? With Araiza now in Buffalo, that puts veteran punter Matt Haack on the hot seat. 154) - 1 - Cincinnati Bengals (No. In yesterdays game, Matt Araiza elevated his NCAA record with his 16th punt of 60+ yards this year. Four drafted punters are actually less rare than one might imagine. 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 . NFL punter Matt Araiza and two San Diego State football players accused in gang-rape lawsuit. The big-footed San Diego native is considered one of the best prospects in his position over the years and many are eager to see . Hang time and accuracy are just as important in the NFL. Drawing attention across the media landscape driven by the king of punters himself, Pat McAfee Araiza has broken records with his ridiculously powerful left leg. But I know there are other players in the league who are told to just bang the ball as far as they can down the field, and the team is going to cover. That isnt the case for Araiza, whose naturally quick delivery makes it easy for him to get the ball out and seriously flip field position for his team. Matt Araiza came into the 2022 NFL Draft as a fan favorite. section: | slug: 2022-nfl-draft-shocker-bills-land-punt-god-matt-araiza-who-surprisingly-gets-taken-behind-two-other-punters | sport: football | route: article_single.us | DB/Specialist Pre-Draft Notes (2022 NFL Draft) by Shane Hallam April 21, 2022 0 520. However, that doesnt mean that his scouting report doesnt reveal some areas for improvement. One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State University's Matt Araiza. Upon arriving at the school, he knocked on the door of the football coach. NFL Draft: Meet Matt Araiza, Punt God His booming kicks made fourth-and-long must-watch TV at San Diego State. and 387lb (!!) But the San Diego State punter, nicknamed "Punt God" by Twitter and anyone that has seen his 80-yard moonshots for three seasons with the Aztecs, has declared for the 2022 NFL Draft. The [] Copyright 2019-2023. Of the 27 punters drafted in the past 15 seasons, just six of these players have made a Pro Bowl these six punters only made one Pro Bowl each. But now Araiza is gone, released Saturday afternoon, and with the preseason games over, the Bills have to trim . A versatile punter who can flip field position and force the opposition to account for him while nailing game-winning field goals with regularity is hard to find. 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. The San Diego, California native has a. as the Aztecs kicker. As a junior, Araiza would be eligible for the NFL Draft in both 2022 and 2023. PFN Draft Analyst Tony Pauline has Araiza graded as a top-100 player on his latest big board. But, thats not all Araiza can do. Despite his relatively low recruiting profile, there was a level of expectation around the program when the versatile kicking weapon was finally handed the opportunity to play for the Aztecs in 2019. All the more impressive, the 2021 season was Araiza's first taking on full-time punting duties for the Aztecs. The whole nfl knew. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the. The Punt God is averaging far more yards per punt than Anger did his senior year. The 2022 NFL Draft is quickly approaching, with the first round kicking off on Thursday, April 28th. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Redshirting his 2018 season, Araiza learned under San Diego State kicker John Barron II. 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. That said, it appears unlikely that Araiza will be a realistic target for them unless he somehow falls to Round 5. Despite that, things haven't really changed from out first look at it. General manager Tom Telesco spoke to the media on Thursday and was asked about Araiza in the draft. Although the 40-yard-dash may not be a direct indicator of a players game speed, the fact that Araiza ran a 4.68 is notable in its own right. Can he step, drop, and reset to cut off Khalil Mack trying to knife inside? WCGs Lead Draft Analyst shares brief anecdotes on each of his top performers from Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Combine. Araiza sits neatly at the intersection of crusty old Football Guys and the new wave of analytically . 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. We have an 86 yard punt EIGHTY SIX (CC @RKalland) pic.twitter.com/KIi5d3VTTO. 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. Clouding Strongs status is a knee injury that he picked up playing basketball as a kid, one that saw him miss his senior year of high school football. For this reason, I believe its time for me to do something Ive only done once before: a special teamer breakdown. As Araiza prepares to break positional norms in the 2022 NFL Draft class, his prolific performances as a punter can be traced back to his roots at Rancho Bernardo High in San Diego. Araiza has made three 50-yard field goals so far this season, the second most in NCAA football. 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. At worst, the allegation contained in a civil lawsuit filed Thursday that Araiza, a former San Diego State star . While a replication of Guys first-round selection is as unlikely as Pat Bradys 99-yard punt for Nevada in 1950, Araizas scouting report reveals an NFL-worthy talent who should hear his name called as early as Day 2 in the 2022 NFL Draft. 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. If you were going to bet on a long shot, however, who better than two prospects whose whole careers have been about making those long shots? 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. San Diego State's Matt Araiza, meanwhile, might have the strongest leg in the draft. Tracker; Grades; Spending; Tenders; Draft. 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. In Araizas scouting report, we break through the numbers and noise to scrutinize his pro potential ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft. 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. Like clockwork. 31, the Cincinnati Bengals sit in one of the most interesting spots of any team in the 2022 NFL draft. The previous year, he punted five times for 249 yards, averaging 49.8 yards per punt. He played fewer than half of Georgias defensive snaps in 2021 and played only 18% of third-down snaps. Dallas Intends to Tag Pollard, 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. Davis was the force behind college footballs most dominant defense last season, fueling a Georgia group that carried their team to the national championship. There have been multiple third-round selections, while FSU punter John Stark was a second-round choice in 1982. Positives: Strong-legged punter whos also an exceptional directional kicker. 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. All Rights Reserved, accused of being involved in the gang rape of a 17-year-old, the Bills also ignored his warnings about Araiza, Josh Allen and girlfriend Brittany Williams kiss during offseason getaway, Bills GM provides Damar Hamlin update regarding potential comeback, Bills coordinator abruptly leaves team during critical time, The favorite to win NFLs Comeback Player of the Year may surprise you, Giants QB carted off after big hit by Jets lineman, Daniel Jones needs to see big picture in Giants negotiations, Red-hot Jon Rahm no match for wind-swept Bay Hill: 'F--king hard', The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast, The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman, Amazin' But True: A NY Mets Baseball Podcast, Gangs All Here: A NY Jets Football Podcast, Tom Sandoval breaks silence on Ariana Madix split amid cheating claims, Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave. But, thats not all Araiza can do. Based on Over The Cap's projections, . At Michigan, he excelled as partner in crime for Aidan Hutchinson, the projected first-overall pick in the upcoming draft. The relationship is not close to being statistically significant here, and the R-squared value is almost negligible. This next punt traveled 88 yards through the air, landing from his own 12-yard line to the literal goal line. But how high, exactly, can we expect a team to take Araiza, winner of the 2021 Ray Guy Award? This season Araiza hasnt had a single kick punt or field goal blocked. Matt Araiza'The Weapon' Ready to Destroy Your Perception of an NFL Punter. Hes unlikely to be the first defensive lineman off the board. Stroud: I dont want to go to the Bears; thats Fields team, OPINION: Cocaine Bear is stupid, but in a really good way. 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.