Brugler predicts Bellinger will be the second San Diego State player drafted (after Cameron Thomas). March 25, 2022 5 min read. Normally punters arent stars of undefeated teams, but Araiza is an exception. Its a loaded defensive end class, Brugler said. While Brugler assesses Dunkles draft stock as a late-round pick based on his questionable athleticism to hold up in pass protection, he believes Dunkle has the play strength to turn defenders in the hole and be a dominant force in a phone booth in the run game. He also rated Dunkle above average in all of the games he studied this year and found him dominant against Air Force and UTSA in the Frisco Bowl. Hang time was the primary concern for Araiza in the weeks and months leading up to the draft. The San Diego State punter is logical and industrious in his approach to the game both on and off the field. It's not clear why Araiza dropped all the way down to the sixth round, but there are plenty of theories. Araiza in 2021 booted 79 punts for 4,044 yards for an NCAA-record 51.18 yards per punt. A story of soccer to San Diego, from punter to Punt God. But when the ball came off of his foot in the thin Rocky Mountain air of Colorado Springs, the San Diego State punter surprised even himself. Watch where Araiza ends up on this play! Bringing as much star power as a punter can, Araiza will also bring some questions, though, as he was a three-time All-CIF San Diego Section kicker at Rancho Bernando High before becoming an All-Mountain West Conference standout for the Aztecs. Nora and Steven break down the most intriguing, silly, and enlightening comments coming out of Indianapolis, Plus, theres talk of the rise of Greef Karga, along with what could become of Bo-Katan and the Mandalorian people, The guys close the show with highlights from NXT and a preview of tonights AEW go-home Dynamite, "The Apostate" is designed to reorient the audience after a lengthy layoff, but the familiar formula ensures we want to keep taking the trip, Meg and Spanners also discuss Aston Martins positive press focusing on Fernando Alonso and touch on Ferraris consistent performance. Is Araiza the Punter That Was Promised? Watching Araiza help the Aztecs win game after game feels like unlocking a portal to a world where the sports millions of complicated schemes and strategies dont matter. By Oliver Hodgkinson January 31, 2022 Jump around this article Click to show Matt Araiza is not your average NFL Draft prospect. By submitting your email, you agree to our. The Sixth Man award almost always goes to the NBAs highest-scoring bench player. Bills select San Diego St. punter Matt Araiza in sixth round of 2022 NFL Draft Published: Apr 30, 2022 at 04:09 PM Grant Gordon Digital Content Editor Though the Buffalo Bills got the third. The Buffalo Bills tweeted out the announcement with a picture of Araiza wearing his red and black Aztecs jersey with now-familiar No. How Far Can This Version of James Harden Take the Sixers? At the end of Araizas senior season at Rancho Bernardo, he hadnt gotten any scholarship offers, and was still considering soccer as a pathway to his future. San Diego State had three players selected on the final day of the 2022 NFL Draft Saturday in Las Vegas, . All You Touch and All You See: Dark Side of the Moon at 50. According to the NFL Mock Draft Database, the highest he is projected to go is in the fifth round picks 144 through 179. several third-round selections at punter. Araiza was chosen with the first pick in the sixth round, the 180th pick overall. Matt Araiza knew the Big Punt was different. Yet, hed only punted in one game prior to this season. It was awesome. Field Pos. It isnt much of a challenge anymore. A fourth player, senior Daniel Bellinger, also took the next step in his career rather than return to SDSU for a super senior season. Should he be the Mountain West Player of the Year? He now holds the NCAA records for punting average in a season (51.19), punts over 50 yards (39), and punts over 60 yards (18). No one in our family had control over that. And starting this fall, San Diego State also tasked Araiza with doing the thing that he was put on this earth to do: punt the football. He was the striker for his high school soccer team, banging home game-winning goals in playoff games. Please enter a valid email and try again. 40-yard time 4.68 seconds Vertical jump 32 Hes hit 14 punts of at least 60 yards, two shy of the NCAA record for the most in a full seasonand the Aztecs still have at least five games to go. Behind guard Max Rices 12 straight points at the end, host Broncos score the games final 14 in the final five minutes to stun Aztecs, Stats and storylines to watch on Tuesday night, when San Diego State takes on Boise State at ExtraMile Arena, San Diego State sits on the cusp of a No. He spends the evenings with his award-winning legs cast in a recovery boot. Then theres his NFL potential: Just how high will Araiza be drafted? Around 20 minutes north of San Diego State University lies North County Soccer Park. Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. With the new changes to the touchback rules, pretty much every kickoff is a touchback. Brugler assesses that Araiza, the top punter in the draft, will likely be a Day 3 draftee (rounds four through seven) and could go early in Day 3 depending on how impressive he performs during team workouts. Araiza set the FBS record this year with a 51.19 average. UC San Diego and San Diego State alumni living in Americas Finest City. Really dependable ball skills. His, was better than many who are projected to be high draft selections, including. Three juniors, all local San Diego kids, were named to the Associated Press All-American Teams. This is the most yards per punt a player has ever averaged in a single NCAA season, illustrating his sheer dominance. (Derrick Tuskan / San Diego State Athletics), Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, College baseball wrapup: USD right-hander James Sashin reaping rewards for persistence and hard work, Aztecs QB Jalen Mayden gets full offseason to grow in starting role, College baseball weekend: Tony Gwynn Legacy event a reminder of Hall of Famers legendary life, Aztecs looking for feedback from football season-ticket holders, Aztecs announce executive staff hire at transformative moment for schools athletic department, Aztecs begin offseason drills with a spring in their step, No. EVT caught up with, Dane Brugler, NFL Draft Analyst for The Athletic. Punters are an often-overlooked asset on a football squad but San Diego State punter/kicker Matt Araiza has been frequently referenced as the most talented punt prospect in recent history. 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. Bellingers seasonal production did not overtly scream NFL caliber tight end, finishing 2021 with 31 receptions for 357 yards and only two touchdowns. The former MVP has adapted and evolved to become an excellent conductor of Phillys offense. Are the Bears failing Justin Fields? Brugler ranked Thomas as the 7th-best edge rusher in this draft class last month and says teams view him as a second-round prospect. Whats legacy, anyway? The only other times it happened came in 1993 and 2007. But how have other drafted punters panned out in the NFL? Every front office in the NFL may have Araiza at a different spot on their boards come the last week in April, but the standout college special teams player should hear his name called during the 2022 NFL Draft. 5 or 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which could be the difference between facing a mid-major or power conference opponent, What exactly the Aztecs drew up for Lamont Butler, what got Darrion Trammell going, and keeping an eye on whether Brian Dutchers alma mater needs a new coach, Lamont Butlers 3-pointer at the buzzer beats New Mexico and means the Aztecs can win the Mountain West title outright with one win in their final two games, Everything you need to know about Saturday nights showdown between the Aztecs and Lobos at the Pit in Albuquerque, Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our NewslettersSite Map, Copyright 2023, The San Diego Union-Tribune |. I dont think I realized how important it was when I made the decision, Araiza said. I know how I did at the Pro Day. Hand size 9 1/2 For whatever reason, punters have been a popular position to pick in this year's draft. He converted all but one of his 97 career extra-point attempts, too. against San Jose State in October. [Scouts] see the traits, says Brugler. Its the most Aztecs drafted since four were taken in 2012. In this years tight end class, Brugler ranked Ferguson 12th, one spot higher than Bellinger. The current Ray Guy Award winner is no stranger to accolades. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Above is a plot of the average Approximate Value (AV) of a punter per season who has been drafted in the last 15 seasons. In the past 25 years, the highest-drafted punter was Bryan Anger, selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the 70th pick in the 3rd round. The draft was held May 34, 1979, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, New York. 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. So, what's next for this group -- in 2022 and beyond? The 21-year-old is a special teams star who won the 2021 Ray Guy Award, given to the best punter in college football. It was something that Im going to be forever grateful for, and I hope to have that same effect on the next fan base, wherever I go. Every coach will want to do their due diligence as far as timing his touch to toe operation and seeing how he does with a real NFL Duke ball. He is also highly accurate as a punter, with 37 of his 79 punts (46.8%) landing inside the opponents 20-yard line in 2021 against just 15 touchbacks. That motor really helps him frequently make tackles away from the line of scrimmage that a lot of defensive ends just dont make. Anger averaged 44.2 yards per punt as a senior at Cal; Araiza is outpacing that mark by almost 10 yards per punt. A legitimate question is: Can Matt Araiza also be selected in the first round? Former Saints punter Thomas Morstead recently explained to the Athletic why that's a concern. We have an 86 yard punt EIGHTY SIX (CC @RKalland) pic.twitter.com/KIi5d3VTTO. Chicago took offensive tackle Zach Thomas, Camerons brother, in the sixth round. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) By . Matthew Ryan Araiza (born May 16, 2000) is an American football punter who is a free agent. Punters dont try to make highlights. When we spoke on Tuesday night, Araiza called kicking a football really hard the greatest feeling. In addition to punting, he handles placekicking and kickoff duties for San Diego State. 2:39 pm ET. The announcers were astounded. As his team keeps winning games and his punts keep soaring over the heads of baffled punt returners, he also raises a question: Just how valuable can a punter truly be? Araiza should win the Ray Guy Award, which goes to the nations best punter. San Diego States Matt Araiza is the third punter in school history selected in the NFL Draft. DUDE HE PUNTED IT FROM THE END ZONE TO THE OPPOSING 18-YARD LINE ON THE FLYTHIS GUY IS THE GREATEST PUNTER OF ALL TIME pic.twitter.com/ED5OyqZ83k, Rancho Bernardo Alumni Matt Araiza with a 75 Yard Punt for SDSU pic.twitter.com/XPHfBMz468, Inexplicably, Matt Araiza did not win Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Week despite having one of the best punting games in NCAA history. EVT caught up with Dane Brugler, NFL Draft Analyst for The Athletic, to gain some insight on how teams are evaluating the Aztecs enrollees as the draft process is set to begin. Overflowing with accolades and a pious sobriquet, San Diego State punter Matt Araiza is going from the sunny skies of Southern California to the wintery winds of Buffalo, as the Bills selected him with the No. That was probably the year that started all this momentum towards success on the football field.. In 2020, he dialed in 71.4%, and in 2021, he achieved 64.3%. Somehow, were both getting what we want. But as soon as Araiza started kicking, it became clear that he had a gift for it. These sites are not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with with these teams or institutions. But Matt didnt have dreams of special teams stardom. Will another aggressive draft by Mickey Loomis pay off for the Saints? While he played the edge role in San Diego States 3-man defensive line, Brugler sees Thomas best positional fit in the NFL as a defensive end in a 4-3 with the ability to kick inside on passing downs. They try to be consistent, perfecting their motion so its the same every time. Despite all the success on the football field for Rancho Bernardo, Araiza was largely overlooked in the 2018 recruiting cycle. This begs the question: how well will Matt Araiza transition to the NFL? Not only has he shown his prowess as a punter, but Coach Maalouf adds he kicked off as well and was good at it. The San Diego State punter was better than Camarda in almost every metric last season. 2022 NFL Draft, Matt Araiza, Mountain West Football, San Diego State Football, Mountain West Football, NCAAF, NFL Draft, San Diego State, 2023 NFL Combine: Preview, Schedule, How To Watch. I knew I just had to figure out a few things, dial in a few things, get some consistency and adjust to the college operation time. 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. The earliest a punter has been selected over that period was the fourth round, the Niners selecting Mitch Wishnowsky. 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). In addition to his record-setting punting, he's drilled three 50-yard field goals, second most in college football, and has the fourth-longest average kickoff distance (65.0 yards). Except, maybe Araiza himself. Thomas will have a chance to separate himself from other edge rushers in his tier as the draft process unfolds with the combine and private team workouts to prove he belongs in one of the top 32 spots., A redshirt junior entering this season, Thomas quickly showed scouts he is a pro prospect with his play to start the season. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. San Diego State's Matt Araiza put in a historic year. The reality is that Araiza is one of a kind, hence the nicknames Anomaly and Punt God.. Araiza will remember that for some time to come, a perceived snub he will use as motivation. We were all kind of surprised. Araiza set a number of ALL-TIME records in this past season, and the lefty has shown that punters can be tough as nails to boot. San Diego State punter Matt Araiza speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. In 2019, he made 84.6% of his kicks. Is Brad Holmes' enthusiastic drafting paying dividends for the Lions? Now that hes finally showing off his best skill, hes immediately emerged as a punting legend. Gennaro Filice provides draft grades for each NFC East team. Well, that was just a way onto the football roster. By Oliver Hodgkinson April 14, 2022 Jump Around This Article Click to show Punters are NFL Draft prospects, too always have been, always will be. 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. Teams are not drafting you based on what you have done, notes Brugler. 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