NFL draft 2000
Scouting reports: Kickers
As published in Pro Football Weekly's 2000 Draft Preview
Quarterbacks|Running backs|Wide
receivers|Tight ends
Offensive linemen|Defensive
linemen|Linebackers
Defensive backs|Kickers
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Buchsbaum's top five
(as of March 10)
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Sebastian Janikowski
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| Editor's note: |
E — Height, weight and speed are estimated.
e — Only the 40-yard-dash time is estimated.
On all positions, 40-yard-dash times are curved to take conditions into account. For
instance, a 4.4 40 on a very fast rubber track would be recorded as a 4.52, while a 4.6 on
slow grass would be logged as a 4.5. |
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(Players are listed in alphabetical order)
| P
JOHN BAKER |
| (6-2 1/2, 220, 5.0) North Texas |
| Notes: Blinn Junior College (Texas) transfer.
Averaged 47.2 yards per punt, with 15-of-62 inside the 20 in 1997. Was averaging 46.8
yards per punt in ’98, until he hurt his foot midway through the year. Didn’t
miss a game but only averaged 38.0 yards for the rest of the season to finish with a
42.2-yard average and 14-of-66 inside the 20. In ’99, Baker averaged 43.1 yards on 82
punts with a long of 70 and 23 punts inside the 20, but he did have two punts blocked. Positives:
Nice size. Strong leg. Holds for placements.
Negatives: Lacks consistency. Will kick too many line drives.
Needs work on directing his kicks without shanking the ball.
Summary: Should be in an NFL camp with his size and leg
strength. |
Top of page
| P
ANDREW BAYES |
| (6-1 3/4, 195, 5.05) East Carolina |
| Notes: Has punted for the past four years and did
some placekicking the past three seasons. Is a prospect as a punter but not as a
placekicker. Averaged 40.3 yards on 49 punts as a freshman in 1996. Had a 43.4-yard
average and 38.5 net in ’97, when he made 6-of-9 FG attempts. Averaged 42.9 with a
38.2 net in ’98. Also made 16-of-17 extra points and 6-of-11 FG attempts. Led the
nation in punting with a 48.1-yard average in ’99, but he had three punts blocked,
and his net 38.9 was over nine yards under his gross average. Also made 14-of-17 PATs and
4-of-7 FGs. Second-team All-Conference USA in ’97 and ’98 and first-team in
’99, when he also made four major All-America teams. Positives:
Above-average leg strength. Led the nation in punting and rarely kicked in ideal weather
conditions. Can handle the placekicking in an emergency.
Negatives: Lacks consistency. Struggles when asked to direct
the ball. Only placed 10 of his 47 punts in ’99 inside the 20. Has had five kicks
blocked the past two years.
Summary: Has an NFL leg but needs to become more consistent and
learn to place and direct the ball better. |
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| PK SHAYNE GRAHAM |
| (5-11, 195, 4.9) Virginia Tech |
| Notes: Four-time All-Big East placekicker who
kicked the game-winning and season-saving field goal vs. West Virginia in 1999. Made
39-of-39 extra points and 10-of-16 FG attempts in ’96, 35-of-36 and 19-of-23
in’97, 37-of-37 and 22-of-32 in ’98 (with a career-long 53-yarder) and 56-of-57
and 17-of-22 in ’99. Positives: Has been pretty accurate
and reliable for four years. Handles pressure well. Made a tough 44-yard kick with the
season riding on him in a do-or-die situation to beat West Virginia 22-20 as time expired.
Has improved leg strength and range. Longest FGs were 35 yards in ’96, 48 in
’97, 53 in ’98 and 52 last year.
Negatives: Still has only marginal NFL leg strength and range.
Does not kick off.
Summary: A top college kicker with marginal range for the NFL. |
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| PK SEBASTIAN JANIKOWSKI |
| (6-0 7/8, 260, 4.8e) Florida State |
| Notes: Grew up in Poland, where he was a member
of the national under-17 soccer team before leaving for America. Only started to play
American football his senior year in high school and showed such great leg strength and
range that Florida State offered him a full scholarship. As a true freshman, made 37-of-39
point-after attempts and 16-of-21 FG attempts with a long of 56 yards. Also kicked off 84
times, with 42 touchbacks. Won the Lou Groza award as the top kicker in the country in
1998 and ’99. Was 42-of-43 and 27-of-32 in ’98 and 47-of-47 and 23-of-30 in
’99. Entering the NFL after his junior year so he will have the money to bring his
mother to America from Poland. However, must also deal with Jan. 24 bribery charge after
allegedly offering a police officer $300 to release his roommate from custody after the
roommate was arrested for trespassing at a Tallahassee nightclub when he refused to leave.
If convicted, Janikowski could face deportation, in addition to up to five years in prison
and a $5,000 fine. Positives: Superior leg strength and range.
Has 60-yard-plus range on field goals, and over half his kickoffs are virtually
unreturnable. Did not miss any kicks under 45 yards during the ’99 regular season.
Very good athlete who will tackle and likes the physical part of the game.
Negatives: Limited football background. Not a kicking
technician. Will overkick at times but has cut down in this area. Overweight and likes to
drink and party by his own admission. Party- type guy who may have trouble handling money
and temptation after he turns pro and starts coming into a substantial amount of money.
Comments: Has as strong a leg as I’ve ever seen but will
have to show he can handle everything that comes with being a highly paid professional
athlete who will have some free time on his hands and not be in a controlled college
environment. Legal issues could turn into a major problem. |
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| P SHANE LECHLER |
| (6-1 3/4, 230, 4.95e) Texas A&M |
| Notes: High school quarterback and kicker who also
played basketball and baseball. Redshirted in 1995 and has been an award-winning punter
each of the last four years. Also handled some placement work and did some kicking off.
Had a 42.7-yard average and 39.6 net on 72 punts as a redshirt freshman in ’96.
Averaged 47 yards on 56 kicks with a 41.3-yard net in ’97. Had a 43.6-yard average on
80 kicks with 21 inside the the 20 and a 39.2-yard net in ’98 and a 46.5-yard average
with 15-of-60 kicks inside the 20 in 1999, when he also made 6-of-8 PATs and the only
field goal he attempted, which was from 32 yards out. Threw a TD pass on a fake in
’98 and has done a lot of holding for the Aggies. Positives: Good
size. Strong leg. Catches the ball well and can hold for placements. Decent kickoff man.
Throws the ball fairly well and is a threat on trick plays. Will hit and tackle. Thinks of
himself as a football player who kicks. As a punter, he can really boom the ball and get
his team out of trouble. Is starting to learn a little bit about placing and directing his
kicks.
Negatives: Takes too long getting punts off. Inconsistent
punter who can bring rain with one kick and shank the next. Has more than a few kicks that
are low, short line drives which, in many instances in college, were not handled and
rolled to inflate his average. By NFL standards, his kickoffs are just average in terms of
hang time and distance.
Summary: Has the size, leg, toughness and hands to be an NFL
punter, holder and emergency placekicker, but he must learn to get his punts off quicker
and become a more consistent punter. |
Top of page
You'll find profiles of nine more kickers in the print edition of Pro
Football Weekly's Draft Preview 2000
book. It's available at bookstores and newsstands across the country or you can call
1-800-FOOTBALL (1-800-366-8225) to order a copy. |
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