With one week to go until teams are officially on the clock, our 2024 NFL Draft positional preview wraps up with a look at this year’s specialists. Let’s close out with kickers, punter, and long snappers.
Are any of these positions of need for the New England Patriots this year? The strongest argument comes at kicker after Chad Ryland struggled as a rookie last year. The fourth-round pick made 16 of his 25 field goal attempts, missing seven of 17 kicks from the 30- to 49-yard range.
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Will those issues lead the Patriots to drafting another kicker. If so, it would most likely come very late in the draft. But, the reality is the Patriots have a young kicker they just invested highly in, and while getting him competition would be a smart move, using another draft pick to do so wouldn’t be. Instead, look for them to sign a veteran kicker heading into camp to push Ryland.
At punter the Patriots should be set. Bryce Baringer had an encouraging rookie year, and while there is room to improve, that’s noting beyond what should typically be expected of any rookie.
Long snapper Joe Cardona is still signed through 2026, so he’s likely not going anywhere. Sometimes the Patriots like having multiple long snappers in camp though, so a UDFA could be possible.
If for no other reason than being thorough, let’s take a look at the top specialists in this year’s class as we wrap up our Patriots draft preview.
Kickers
COLUMBIA, MISSOURI – NOVEMBER 18: Place kicker Harrison Mevis #92 of the Missouri Tigers kicks a game-winning field goal against the Florida Gators in the second half at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on November 18, 2023 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
We laid out the potential need for a kicker above. The real question is, if the Patriots bring in a kicker what kind of player will he be?
In the past the Patriots had one key criteria when adding kickers. They always favored players with experience kicking in inclement weather – whether it be in high school or college, but preferably both. That makes sense, given the kind of kicks that are needed late in the season in New England. Still, it’s something they seemed to stick to strongly, often passing up higher-ranked kickers in both free agency in the draft who had only kicked in warm weather and/or indoors in their careers.
Will that preference continue post-Bill Belichick? If so, the kickers to know in this draft are Joshua Karty from Stanford, Harrison Mevis from Missouri, and Charles Campbell from Tennessee (an Indiana transfer).
Karty is projected by most to be one of the top two kickers off the board, which will likely be too high for the Patriots. Mevis could be a more realistic option late on Day 3 or as a UDFA. At 6-foot, 241 pounds Mevis is known as the ‘Thiccer Kicker’ who broke out in 2021, had a down year in 2022, then was better in 2023. He’s got a massive leg and a strong history of hitting clutch kicks, but inconsistency inside the 40-yard range and lack of kickoff ability could hurt his stock.
Will Reichard from Alabama and Cam Little from Arkansas are the other two kickers to know. Both are expected to be picked out of range of the Patriots, and both have only kicked in warm-weather enviroments.
Punters
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 04: Tory Taylor #9 of the Iowa Hawkeyes punts against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at Wrigley Field on November 04, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Tory Taylor comes into the NFL after re-writing the NCAA punting record books at Iowa over the last four years. He got plenty of chances to punt for the Hawkeyes and boasted a 42.6 net yards per punt for his career while landing 43.4 percent of his punts inside the 20. Simply put, he’s a consistent field-flipper. One of the best punting prospects of the last decade, the Australian has a chance to be a top 100 pick and should certainly go in the top 150.
The only other punter in this class with a strong shot to get drafted is Austin McNamara from Texas Tech, but that will be later on Day 3. Ryan Rehkow form BYU, Ryan Sanborn from Texas, and Matthew Hayball from Vanderbilt are the other top punters.
Long snappers
Sep 29, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack long snapper Joe Shimko (91) covers a punt during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at Carter-Finley Stadium. The Louisville Cardinals won 13-10. Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
No long snappers are projected to be drafted this year. NC State’s Joe Shimko won the Patrick Mannelly Award in 2023 as the nation’s best long snapper, and never had a bad snap in 61 career games at the collegiate level. Peter Bowden from Wisconsin, Williams Mote from Georgia, Marco Ortiz from Nebraska, and Steele Judy from The Citadel are also expected to be on NFL rosters come training camp.
