What's the earliest you would ever take a punter?

[Hawkfan77]

It wouldn't shock me at all if we took him in the 3rd round if he were still there. We need to do something about our return game and that would be a pretty good and cheap fix overall for years if we wanted to go that way.

It should shock you

 

[jkitsune]

This entire thread is ridiculous. You need look no further than the number of productive, excellent pros who come out of the 2nd/3rd/5th round EVERY YEAR, compared to the number of STELLAR PUNTERS who get drafted every year, to get your answer.

Anger went in the 3rd round... before Russell Wilson. Drafting a punter sooner than the 7th round is idiocy.

Ray Guy .... Hall Of Fame

In 1973.

So 1973 you draft a punter that is a hall of famer that stayed with your team his whole career, he changed how Punters were viewed and made a impact on the game and how it was played on 4th down.

1973 or 2023, impact player, difference maker, you pick him. If he was a kicker that could Kick 80 yard field goals do you pass on him because he is a kicker or take him because he is a difference maker.

If he was a kicker that could routinely hit 80 yard field goals, that would be incredible. I would consider taking him.

If he were a punter that could routinely average 80 yard punts, that would be incredible. I would consider taking him.

Unfortunately, we're talking, genuinely, about the difference between the 'best' punter averaging 50-55 yards, and an 'average' punter averaging 40-45 yards. The relative cost to your team of not having an elite punter vs not having an elite WR, RB, OL, QB, or essentially any other position is minimal.

If we drafted any punter in the 3rd round, I would be stunned and appalled.

IMHO, if you're going to draft a truly standout specialist, you do so in the 7th round. The impact on your team of a starter-quality anything is almost always going to exceed the relative loss in not having THAT ONE specialist. Coutu and Plackemeier were both exceptional talents when drafted.

 

[Maelstrom787]

If this guy can consistently average 55-60 yards per punt, and the FO is sure of that, then he is worth a high/mid 3rd in my book. That is a highly valuable tool for a team with a good defense. It gives your team the ability to consistently win the special teams field position battle, game in game out.

 

[chris98251]

Ray Guy was a player that changed the game, placement kicks and hang time and distance wasn't normal back then, why I used the 80 yd field goal kicker as a analogy, was just about that equivalent as far as impact on the game.

 

[jkitsune]

Ray Guy was a player that changed the game, placement kicks and hang time and distance wasn't normal back then, why I used the 80 yd field goal kicker as a analogy, was just about that equivalent as far as impact on the game.

I understand. And if you could convince me that something about a kicker was going to revolutionize the game, I might consider a 4th or 5th round pick. But that being said, a punter who averages 55 yards per punt is not the same sort of 'revolutionary' weapon that a Ray Guy was in that era.

An 80-yard field goal kicker? I would take that, cut my punter, and roster an extra player.... Mmm. One kicker for all kicking/punting duties... and almost never punting...

 

[HawksSoc]

It wouldn't shock me at all if we took him in the 3rd round if he were still there. We need to do something about our return game and that would be a pretty good and cheap fix overall for years if we wanted to go that way.

This is what led Jacksonville to make one of the worst picks of the NFL draft.

They also took Gabbert over Watt the year before, go Jags!

 

[Osprey]

With the offensive bias in today's NFL I'm not sure I would spend anything earlier than a 7th on even the hypothetical 80 yard field goal kicker. Field goals just don't mean as much as they used to.

Same with 10 yards of field position. When your OT can tackle the DE and a WR can run 'rub' routes all day long it's not a significant factor in the game's outcome.