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2005 NFL DRAFT BREAKDOWN SPECIAL WEEK 1:
KICKERS/PUNTERS
This is a series that I will be releasing every Monday night around 10 p.m. for the next 11 weeks breaking down all the positions leading up to the NFL Draft. If you have any comments drop me a line at wadepeery@yahoo.com. Next Monday will be safeties.
By: Wade Peery
1. Mike Nugent-K-Ohio State Buckeyes- At 5’10, 170 pounds Mike Nugent is definitely one of the smaller kickers in the draft, but he’s clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the competition in this draft and will likely be the only drafted kicker. The 2004 Lou Groza award winner has a great blend of the four qualities you look for in a kicker: distance, accuracy, consistency, and the ability to nail kicks in the clutch. Sure, he missed that 40-yarder at the end of regulation against Northwestern, but that was one of the few mistakes he made all season. Nugent was 24-27 on field goal attempts, hitting 5-for-6 from beyond 50 yards. No kicker in college football came even close to being that consistent from beyond 50 yards, and Nugent even nailed a 55-yarder to lift the Buckeyes to a victory over Marshall. During a season in which kickers struggled mightily with the extra point, Nugent was flawless, 30-30 on extra points. He was his team’s leading scorer this season with 102 points and put on a show when the Buckeyes faced off against N.C. State in Raleigh. He was 5-for-5 on his field goal attempts, nailing kicks from 50, 30, 33, 46, and 47 yards in lifting the Buckeyes to a 22-14 victory over the Wolfpack. Not only can he score, Nugent showed this season he can handle kickoffs as well, because he booted 40 touchbacks this season while averaging 63 yards per kickoff. Nugent was an offensive weapon that the Buckeyes will miss for years to come. Simply put, Mike Nugent was the best kicker in college football this season. If you think otherwise, you are just kidding yourself. I predict he’ll get drafted late 2nd to early 3rd round.
2. Jonathan Nichols-K-Ole Miss Rebels- From one Lou Groza award winner to another. Nichols had a sensational season last year as a junior on his way to winning the 2003 Lou Groza award, but he had a down year this year, hitting 20-27 of his field goal attempts and connecting on all 19 of his extra points. He had some trouble connecting on distance kicks this season and missed the two kicks he had beyond 50 yards. Still, Nichols averaged 61 yards on kickoffs and had 11 touchbacks on the season and I feel that if a team gives him the chance, he’ll regain the form we saw from him last season. Last year Nichols won named to several post-season All-America lists after he kicked 25-29 field goals, and was 49-49 on his extra point attempts. Not only that, Nichols nailed 3-4 kicks from beyond 50 yards.
He finished his career at Ole Miss as the Rebels’ all-time leading scorer with 344 points. He also finished his career with a streak of 117 consecutive extra points, the nation’s longest active streak. He also has the one quality you need in a kicker at the next level: ability to kick in the clutch. He made 34-yarder with 2:23 left in regulation to force overtime against Vanderbilt. He then nailed a 35-yarder in overtime to lift the Rebels to a 26-23 win. His length this season was not nearly as good because his longest made field goal was a 49-yarder. Still, Nichols is clearly one of the top kickers in this draft because he has shown his ability of distance, accuracy, and ability to nail kicks in the clutch. If he can somehow regain his form, Nichols has shown the ability to kick on a level with Mike Nugent. Nichols is a great kicker and I think he’ll be drafted, but probably in the later rounds of the first day of the draft.
3. Tyler Jones-K-Boise State Broncos- The 6’1”, 198 pounder had a remarkable season this year in route to being named a Lou Groza award finalist. He was named to several All-America lists after he was the leading scorer in the NCAA this season with 141 points. He hit 24-27 field goals and was nearly perfect on extra points, hitting on 69-70 of his attempts for the high-octane Boise State offense. His longest made attempt was a 48-yarder, but he was 5-for-6 on attempts from 40-49 yards. The biggest question about Jones is that he has only had two years of game experience under his belt, but he’s performed brilliantly in that short period at the same time. He didn’t have to make to many kicks under pressure because of Boise State’s ability to demolish all of their competition this season besides Louisville. Tyler Jones is in the same position as Nichols, he will probably get drafted in the later rounds of the first day.
4. Rhys Lloyd-K/P- Minnesota Golden Gophers- While he may not be the best kicker on this list, Lloyd is certainly the most versatile kicker on this list, with the ability to handle kickoffs, punts, and field goals. That’s definitely the biggest thing I like about Lloyd, is his versatility. That and the fact that he’s shown he is a clutch kicker. People won’t forget that image of last season, when Lloyd sprinted over to grab Paul Bunyan’s axe after he just kicked a game winner against archrival Wisconsin. This season he was 12-18 on his field goal attempts and was 43-of-47 on extra points. The versatile kicker also averaged 60 yards on kickoffs and had 18 touchbacks this season. He is a solid punter as well, averaging nearly 40 yards per punt and he even boomed a 63-yarder this year. Lloyd’s versatility should make him an attractive prospect because he can do it all. He might need to work on his length a little bit, but he still has shown the ability to nail kicks in the clutch which is the biggest quality teams look for in a kicker. This guy’s versatility should be what gets him on an NFL roster, but if he gets drafted I think it will be on the second day. If somebody picks him up through free agency, he will be a steal.
5. Dustin Colquitt-P-Tennessee Volunteers- This guy is definitely the best punter in the draft, but he still had a down year this year. The past two years he was a finalist for the Ray Guy award for best punter in the country and he averaged a whopping 45 yards per punt last season. His numbers have been down, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s boomed punts of 67 and 68 yards in the past. In 2003, he pinned his opponent inside the twenty 21 times. Scouts were yawning during practices at the Senior Bowl when they were watching him punt the ball until he woke them up by launching punts of around 65 yards. Make no mistake about it, this guy has a lot of potential and if he can become more consistent with his distance, the former Volunteer can become one of the best punters in the league. I think he will get drafted around the 4th or 5th rounds of the draft, because he is too good of a punter to pass up on. His tremendous length is what will help him out the most.
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