2018 Drafted Punters

[Anti-Polar Bear]

I don’t know what Scott’s net average currently is, but it would be a whole lot prettier with Janis gunning down returners.

House doesn’t look too pretty gunning down punts.

[MadScientist]

The last two guys I remember that were good at kicking the ball OB near the goal line were Shane Lechler (Oak) and Mike Scifres from SD. Scifres would always sacrifice his stats for field position. It is becoming a lost art.

It's a tricky art. Miss by a little and its either a touchback or they aren't backed up all that far. It probably also increases the odds of shanking one.

[MadScientist]

Times a thousand.

If you need a new punter, scout the land, CFL and all over. The key years for leg strength is 25 - 27. You can dig up a punter with some thorough scouting. There are capable guys you can sign out in UFA land.

Hasn't the Packers history this century with shitty punters proven this notion completely false.

[KYPack]

Hasn't the Packers history this century with shitty punters proven this notion completely false.

Well, no.

We have had bad punters of both stripes. We got a great punter from the CFL - Jon Ryan, Then we pissed away Ryan, principally bc ST coach Mike Stock didn't like his ass and convinced the management to cut him.

We also burned two 3rd round picks on punters that both failed.

We got a solid punter from the FA ranks, Tim Masthay. He was great for a few years and then flamed out.

Both these guys come from CFL or FA ranks. You can get good kickers from that source. It also doesn't cost you a draft pick. There are solid punters and long snappers that participate in these specialized training camps for that purpose. Masthay is an example of that.

So what is the sure fire way to get a great 4th down guy? There isn't any.

I think a fifth round pick is high to get a kicker. Some disagree, that's OK.

Maybe the Goot scoured the ranks of the CFL and FA ranks and decided that Scott was the best solution at that position. At least he made a decision. I think the non-draft, FA choice is preferable.

A great kicker is like gold. It's where you find it.

[run pMc]

I think if you're dropping anything higher than a 6th for a K or (especially) P you better be right. It's a funny thing to say considering a good K or P can be critical in a close game.
I agree you can find "serviceable" UDFA's to be punter. Seems like a P is more easy to find than a K. (Ask the Browns and Vikings.) Packers did ok with Vogel last year, Masthay before that, etc.

Lechler and Scifres were Pro Bowl guys who could flip the field in their heyday and that's worth something..Dom Capers' defenses notwithstanding, it's harder for an offense to go 85 yards than 55.
young JKPunting has a chance to get there.

[MadScientist]

So what is the sure fire way to get a great 4th down guy? There isn't any.

Fully agree with that. The way your other post was written, it sounded like you were saying it's easy to find a good punter without burning a draft pick. The Packers wanted a better punter, and one was off the board already, and a couple of other teams wanted punters, so the Packers took the guy they liked when they could get him. If Seattle hadn't taken a punter earlier in the 5th, the Packers might have waited.

He's shaping up to be a good punter, and I find it hard to complain about a supplemental 5th rounder who pans out at any position.

[smuggler]

Lol. He's a rookie and one bad return is skewing his numbers through two games. Get back to us after a year. Fwiw, he's the #1 rated punter in the league according to PFF.