This keeps being repeated. Yes, it's true, the hit rates are low, but the impact of hitting one of these picks is so high. They're not expendable in the way that people are talking about them. If they were, why aren't the Patriots trading them every year to move up in earlier rounds?
@BaseballJones has done posts that show many Ks are Ps are not actually drafted, and some of the best Ks are UDFAs. The same can't be said for any other position on offense or defense. I went through the top 32 kickers this year, and 20 of them were undrafted. What other positions can you find nearly 2/3 of the starters on the street?
Is it the biggest deal on earth that these mid-to-late round picks were spent on S/T? No, it's not, but it's emblematic of why we have 80 page threads about the future of this franchise and the decision-making that we've seen in recent years. For years, the talk was how the Patriots win on the margins, but now we're saying margins don't matter?
This, so much this. It's not about taking Ryland. It's about using these picks on kickers and punters, when your offense CAN'T FUCKING SCORE POINTS. There have been a fuckton of hits at wide receiver, tight end since 2019 after the third round. Sure, most are not hits, but again, you can't fucking hit if you don't step up to the batter's box.
Based on field goal %:
The #1 field goal kicker in the NFL, going 29/30 on FG's (5/6 over 50) and 28/30 on EXP's was Nick Folk.
The #2 kicker, Ka'imi Fairbairn, was undrafted.
The #3 kicker was a rookie in Dallas that played professional soccer, then kicked in the CFL, went undrafted, and Dallas signed him. He went 36/38 on field goals this year.
The #4 kicker, Harrison Butker, was drafted in the 7th, 233rd overall
The #5, Cameron Dicker, undrafted
The #6, Jake Eilliott was drafted in the 5th, 153rd overall
The #7, Chase McLaughlin, was undrafted
The #8, Chris Boswell, was undrafted
The #9, Cairo Santos, was undrafted
The #10, Greg Zuerhlien, was drafted in the 6th, 171st overall
The #11, was drafted in the 6th, 177th overall
The #12, Riley Patterson, undrafted
The #13, Wil Lutz, undrafted
The #14, Daneil Carlson, drafted in the 5th (167th overall)
The #15, Justin fucking Tucker, undrafted
The #16, Youngho Koo, undrafted.
That folks, is evidence, that Bill has no fucking business drafting kickers and punters in the 4th and 5th round (if at all). Especially when even if he hits on one of them, it means we're going to lose 24-10 instead of 24-7, because our offense has no playmakers. It's also evidence that apparently, Bill and Co. suck complete ass at identifying free agent talent at the kicker position, because basically every other team does exactly that.