Get the latest on Buffalo Bills P Matt Araiza including news, stats, videos, and more on CBSSports.com . With Araiza now in Buffalo, that puts veteran punter Matt Haack on the hot seat. It's not often the best player on a team is the punter, but that was the case for the Aztecs last season. I was 17 years old and I had no idea who Matt Araiza was," she said. Matt Araiza, Buffalo Bills, P - News, Stats, Bio - CBSSports.com For this reason, I believe its time for me to do something Ive only done once before: a special teamer breakdown. Two NFL teams had Matt Araiza red flags before draft. Entry: 2022 Draft, Round 6, #180 overall (Bills) Contract History. When a guy leads college football in all major punting statistics including average yards, punt yards per game, punts inside the 20 yard line, and PATs made, he's going to draw NFL draft attention. From there, lift off. The Aztec junior is an offensive weapon that frequently puts his defense in favorable spots. The Bills may not have known about the allegations hanging over punter Matt Araiza when they . The only other times it happened came in 1993 and 2007. 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. 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. Before we produce the punting protagonists of this 2022 NFL Draft prediction, its worth discussing the place this class could hold in NFL history. Specialists don't often get drafted, but with Araiza being able to flip the field so easily (he has had punts go over 80 yards), an NFL team will likely draft him earlier than fans expect. SOMEONE GET ME A TABLE!! 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. According to the Associated Press, executives from two different NFL teams became aware that Araiza had been involved in an incident in the lead-up to the draft, though they didnt know the extent of the allegations. With his power and quick punting style, gunners often have minimal time to cover Araizas punts. The victims lawyer, Dan Gilleon, said the Bills also ignored his warnings about Araiza in late July. Pro Football Network strives to passionately deliver purposeful, captivating, and exceptional football content. The prolific punter also showcased his versatility as a powerful placekicker, hitting 77% of his 48 attempts with a career long of 53 yards. It can bail out a sloppy offensive possession by turning it into a healthy defensive position. Araiza sits neatly at the intersection of crusty old Football Guys and the new wave of analytically inclined general managers. 17 for the first round of the draft. Buffalo Bills made right decision releasing Matt Araiza, but serious At 6ft 9in (!) In 2021, the Bills only punted a total of 52 times, which was tied for the fifth-lowest total in the NFL. Former Bills punter Matt Araiza signs to play in Mexico Before the 2022 NFL Draft, NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein projected Araiza to go in the third round. He maintained composure in a penetrated backfield, and he was able to send the ball 65 yards through the air with ease. The. The Punt God has a legitimate shot at being a day two selection. The 2022 NFL Draft is quickly approaching, with the first round kicking off on Thursday, April 28th. Troy . 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. Araiza must ensure that his strides and ball striking remain consistent from kick to kick. While Araiza has been electrifying college football this season, Georgia punter Jake Camarda should earn himself the nickname Mr. The Ray Guy Award bears his name. Round 5 - Philadelphia Eagles (No. In 'Punt God' Matt Araiza, Bills getting a promising prospect, but far Araiza is currently averaging 52.2 yards per punt. Brewer. Araiza, who began his career at San Diego State as a kicker, also converted 96 of 97 extra point attempts and 50 of 68 field goal attempts (73.5 percent), with a long of 54. Of course, draft analysis, projections and rumors will be dominating the headlines until then. But there are questions about Davis viability at the NFL level. While a running start can provide for more power, power is far from an issue with Araiza. 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. Hes also hit a 60+ yarder in each of his four years for the Bulldogs. Furthermore, Todd Sauerbrun, Rohn Stark, Johnny Evans, and Tom Skladany were all punters selected in the second round. As soon as the ball left Matt Araiza's foot, the competition between the rookie and Matt Haack was over. Possesses a monster leg, gets tremendous hang time on punts, and allows coverage teams to get downfield and make the play. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The LA Chargers have 11 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft and there is a chance that the team could draft San Diego State punter Matt Araiza. 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. Matt Araiza #19 of the Buffalo Bills takes the field during practice on Aug. 5, 2022, in Orchard Park, New York. Team Contract Type Status Year Signed Yrs Total APY Guarantees MKFs unique style and gameplay make betting fun and easy. 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. Since 2000, just two draft classes (2017 and 2011) have not had a punter selected to the NFL. NFL Draft Provile. (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images) NFL draft projection. Additionally, Ray Guy was a first-round pick in 1973, with the award for punting success named after him. Despite those struggles,Araizas game against UNLV gave the football world its first glimpse of him as a punter, nailing 4 of 5 punts over 50 yards. | NFL All Day Pack Opening, Jimbo Fisher Isnt Leaving Texas A&M Football, New Texas State Football Coach Wont Last Long, Best PrizePicks College Football DFS Picks and Player Props for CFP National Championship, TCU vs Georgia Prediction, Odds and College Football National Championship Betting Picks, Marcus Jones Draft Profile: Stats, Highlights and 2022 NFL Draft Projection, Cameron Dicker Draft Profile: Stats, Highlights and 2022 NFL Draft Projection, How To Watch Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury In Canada, Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury LIVE! The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. School: San Diego State. At worst, the allegation contained in a civil lawsuit filed Thursday that Araiza, a former San Diego State star . Matt Araiza is the greatest collegiate punter I have ever watched. Matt Araiza, San Diego State P | NFL Draft Scouting Report (2023) It is officially mock draft season! Carson Strong has a great arm but teams will worry about his injury history. 901 The WCG crew ran through several free agency questions in this roundtable, and today we gave our pick for the signings we want the Bears to avoid. Scroll through to view photos of P Matt Araiza, Buffalo's pick in the sixth round, 180th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. We've been studying the players for 11 months. The truth of the matter, however, is that Araiza is just the tip of the iceberg of a talented punting class. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. NFL GMs have got to love that. NFL Draft: Meet Matt Araiza, Punt God His booming kicks made fourth-and-long must-watch TV at San Diego State. Thats what teams are still trying to figure out. Even these statistical accomplishments usually wouldnt attract the adoration that Araiza has received in this NFL Draft process. Also, a higher average yards per punt does not always mean better sometimes you want to directionally punt, so this can be misleading. They call him Punt God. All this high school success mattered very little when it came to the recruiting process. Matt Araiza draft rumors: San Diego State punter declares for 2022 NFL SUBSCRIBEto the Vendetta YouTube Channel! However, he set a new single-season program record for field goals with 22. Araiza leads the punter predictions for this 2022 NFL Draft. This provides for a quicker delivery and is the standard in the NFL. An achilles injury at Michigans pro day has seen his stock take a hit and served as an example of the dark side of the draft process. In this graphic, there appears to be nearly no association between where a player was selected and his average AV per season. From the aforementioned information, it appears that Araiza is an elite punting prospect. On his list of the top 150 prospects on NFL.com, Daniel Jeremiah listed Araiza at No. As a FG kicker, his completion percentage has declined with every college season. To put that in perspective, there were only six punts of 70 or more yards by every NFL punter combined last season. They are going to have to choose between cutting their sixth round draft pick who recently won the starting punter job, or getting harassed by the fans for not cutting him. In this past season alone, Araiza had the following: I have not seen a punter with the sheer power that Araiza displays on a consistent basis. 1 CB, Paul Burmeister: Why Derek Carr Might Not Be QB to Win You a Championship, Tracker: Patriots Release QB Hoyer. There have been multiple third-round selections, while FSU punter John Stark was a second-round choice in 1982. As a junior, Araiza would be eligible for the NFL Draft in both 2022 and 2023. According to the NFL Mock Draft Database, . against San Jose State in October. FREE Boxing fight stream. He is a big-armed, big-bodied quarterback who plays in the classic, dropback, Carson Palmer style. (Interestingly, I found out while researching this that Cleveland used second round picks in both 1977 and 1978 to draft a punter. Our written profile to add to our NIL Apparel and Podcast Interview of College Football's #1 Punter #sdsu #NFLDraft. Kenny Pickett College Football Highlights 2021, Aaron Rodgers is Using Leverage to Help Davante Adams, DEBUT Tom Brady, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen! Although it is important to recognize that some of these punters have not had as many seasons as others theyve competed against, some believe a player like Araiza should be one of the top NFL punters immediately upon entering the league. Talk about ineptitude.) The 22-year-old was expected to be the Bills' starting punter after playing well during the preseason. Now time for my prediction: I believe Matt Araiza will be selected in the later portion of Round 4, or in Round 5 of the 2022 NFL Draft. Based on Over The Cap's projections, . But how high, exactly, can we expect a team to take Araiza, winner of the 2021 Ray Guy Award? Despite Araiza's incredible 2021 season, he is not expected to be among the highest-drafted punters of all time. Araiza seems like he's going to be a good fit in Buffalo. The buzz over this punting class begins with Araiza. Matt Araiza is San Diego State's record-setting punter. P Matt Araiza earned $216,148 in his NFL career. Some NFL teams knew about Matt Araiza incident before the draft Above is a plot of the average Approximate Value (AV) of a punter per season who has been drafted in the last 15 seasons. 2022 NFL Draft Predictions: Matt Araiza leads class of at least three Stout will likely end up replacing the longtime Ravens punter, who turns 40 in August. Araiza can take up one spot on a roster, rather than a team having to carry a player at both punter and placekicker. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Although Araiza saw plenty of action at San Diego State, he might not see the field much in Buffalo. Corey Bojorquez has also shown inconsistency. But there are tantalising stories further down the board. Chicago Bears 2023 Free Agency Roundtable: Signing we expect. One of the most exciting prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft is San Diego State University's Matt Araiza. 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. Stout was one of the top punters in this year's class and it wasn't a total shocker to see him become the first punter taken. As the 2022 NFL Draft nears, its time to put our money where our mouth is and start making some predictions about the class. The temptation to declare it the greatest punting class of all time is understandable. Showcasing an exceptionally powerful leg, he holds the Penn State field-goal record with a 57-yard strike against Pitt in 2019. If youre sitting comfortably, lets begin. Matt Araiza, better known as "Punt God", played for the San Diego State Aztecs for a total of three seasons between 2019 and 2021. His ceiling could be. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the 2021 Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football. Hi coach, Ojabo said. 2:39 pm ET, did he lead the nation in punting average, 2023 NFL free agent interior offensive linemen, NFL free agent offensive tackles: Sizing up 2023 market, Free agent WR market: Breaking down available talent, NFL 2023 free agency: Top TEs set to hit open market, NFL 2023 free agency: Top RBs set to hit open market, 'Punt God' Matt Araiza not first punter taken, NFL Combine: QB, WR, TE run 40s, compete in drills, Mock Draft: Panthers, Colts trade up for QBs, Rodgers' trade value, logistics, best fit, Pascal robbed at gunpoint, assaulted; WR 'doing fine', Bryce Young measures similar to former No. He is exceptional on fourth down, averaging 51.2 yards per punt in his most recent season. By. Starting with the Punt God himself, lets examine the punter prospects that make up this unlikeliest of NFL Draft predictions. Versatility is next to ability or something of that nature. 2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Matt Araiza | Prime Time Sports Talk The big-legged San Diego native is considered one of the best prospects at his position in years and many are eager to see where he lands. Matt Araiza, punter, San Diego State . Araiza's controversial stay in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills is well noted. 1 pick, Richardson logs colossal measurements at combine, Commanders rip 'blatantly false' team sale report, Top QB in draft has one team he doesn't want to play for. But now Araiza is gone, released Saturday afternoon, and with the preseason games over, the Bills have to trim . Login. The reigning Ray Guy Award winner as the nation's top punter, Araiza set an FBS record with a 51.19-yard . Potential Chargers draft targets: Punter Matt Araiza has their SDSU Aztecs in the 2022 NFL Draft | East Village Times Meanwhile, Texas specialist Cameron Dicker has punting and kicking versatility. Not only has he shown his prowess as a punter, but Coach Maalouf adds he kicked off as well and was good at it. Matt Araiza had two punts of more than 80 yards last season, including an 86-yarder that was the longest punt in college football.He might be able to punt a football from San Diego to Buffalo. What I was asked to do was different from a skill set (perspective) than maybe other players have. In the rare occurrence that one of his kicks is returned, Araiza can be found taking down the returner. Stroud doesnt want to go to the Bears because Justin Fields, OPINION: Cocaine Bear is stupid, but in a really good way When the idea of, CONTENT 2018 2022 VENDETTA SPORTS MEDIA ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions, Why Mitchell Trubisky Is Destined To Fail In The NFL, Barstool Sports Employee Jordyn Woodruff Joins OnlyFans, Sean Allen Sucks At Fantasy Hockey: 2022 Edition, Predicting Four 2023 Middle Linebacker Free Agent Destinations, Von Miller Eyeing GM Career Post Retirement, C.J. The NFL Draft doesn't usually surprise us much when it comes to punting, but on Saturday it came with two big surprises. Both are a long shot to be drafted at the end of the month. However, that doesnt mean that his scouting report doesnt reveal some areas for improvement. Born in Nigeria, Ojabo moved to Scotland in 2007 before heading to the US to attend high school. LA Rams 2022 NFL Draft Big Board for punters? Yes, punters - Ramblin' Fan 2023 Draft Scout/NCAA College Football 2. 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. Banners rationale is driven by the notion of replacement value. His 51.2 yards per punt is the most in a single season by any college punter in the history of the sport. The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the 2021 Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football. 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. Positives: Strong-legged punter whos also an exceptional directional kicker. This season Araiza hasnt had a single kick punt or field goal blocked. No other punter has nailed two 80+ yard punts in 2021. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Do you mind if I try playing football?. The NFL Draft doesn't usually give us very many surprises when it comes to punting, but it came through with two big surprises on Saturday. So why not invest a valuable resource in a player who can boom the ball farther, higher, and with more accuracy than anyone else at his position? Above is a plot of the average. That said, it wouldnt be surprising at all if somebody took him as early as Round 3. When it comes to punters, the bigger surprise is that the Buccaneers took Camarda over Araiza. An all-around special teams contributor, the 2021 unanimous All-American had kickoff duties for San Diego State. One of the most important punting stats is net punting average and Araiza finished the year at 44.3, which ranked sixth in the country. Use our promo code VENDETTA or use the link below to get a 100% instant matchon any deposit. NFL Draft best players available for Chicago Bears: Tyreke Smith, Matt 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. This is the most yards per punt a player has ever averaged in a single NCAA season, illustrating his sheer dominance. 5th Year Option Projections; Free Agency. Other Draft Prospects: TE Daniel Bellinger (UFA), LB Caden McDonald (UFA) But when you boom not just one, but two punts over 80 yards, you earn some attention. Araiza, one of the Buffalo Bills' sixth round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, boomed a . How does Matt Araiza figure in calculus of 2022 NFL Draft?