Patriots special teams newcomers share key traits
The New England Patriots drafted both a kicker and a punter in the 2023 NFL draft, something that hasn't been done by any NFL team since 2000 and only done twice since 1990. The Patriots notoriously seek kickers and punters who have cold-weather kicking experience and this year was no different. Both punter Bryce Baringer […]
The New England Patriots drafted both a kicker and a punter in the 2023 NFL draft, something that hasn't been done by any NFL team since 2000 and only done twice since 1990.
The Patriots notoriously seek kickers and punters who have cold-weather kicking experience and this year was no different. Both punter Bryce Baringer and kicker Chad Ryland played in Michigan.
Chad Ryland:
Ryland was a five-year starter, spending his first four years at Eastern Michigan before transferring to Maryland. In his five-year collegiate career, Ryland made 171 out of 176 extra points(97.2%) and 67 out of 89 field goal attempts(75.3%). It is important to note that he has improved in the intermediate-to-long distance range, and his field goal percentage for the last three seasons is 83.2%.
| 0-19 yards | 20-29 yards | 30-39 yards | 40-49 yards | 50+ yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
0/0 | 2/2 | 6/6 | 5/6 | 3/6 |
The Patriots shocked some by spending by a fourth-round pick on a kicker, but Ryland was one of the best kickers in the draft. He was the second-ranked kicker on the consensus draft board.
Predicting the transition to the NFL can be tricky for kickers. On one hand, Twitter pundits proclaim excitement about Ryland's leg strength and potential, but Lance Zierlein of NFL.com has a bit more of a conservative evaluation of Ryland's film.
"Five-year kicker with four seasons at Eastern Michigan and one at Maryland. Ryland has the leg to make 50-plus-yard field goals and handle kickoffs, but it is nothing special by NFL standards. He will need to improve his overall accuracy and placement to make an NFL team." — Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
Ryland has shown the ability to hit 50-plus yard field goals, but he was inconsistent down the stretch last season, having a four-game stretch where he hit just 54% of his field goals.
Ryland impressed the Patriots' coaching staff at his pro day. After spending all day kicking indoors for numerous NFL teams, special teams savant Joe Judge asked Ryland to come outside to kick, per The Boston Globe. He wanted to test Ryland with less-than-ideal kicking conditions. Apparently, they liked what they saw, because the team spent a fourth-round pick on a kicker. It is still early, but through the first few open-media organized team activities sessions, Ryland has looked solid and even hit a 55-yard field goal in front of the media yesterday.
Chad Ryland has flashed the ability to hit 60+ yard kicks too.
Bryce Baringer
Baringer's story is one of resilience. Despite starting to punt only in his junior year of high school, he began his collegiate career as a walk-on at Illinois. After redshirting his freshman season, Baringer decided to transfer to Michigan State. In 2018, he had an opportunity to prove himself as a walk-on but unfortunately underperformed, leading to the loss of his walk-on spot. However, in 2019, Baringer made a comeback with the Spartans, embracing a new role as the team photographer.
Baringer would continue to grind and this time, it paid off, as he emerged as one of the top punters in the FBS, earning a second-team All-Big Ten selection. Baringer's impressive performance lead to Michigan State offering him a scholarship. He made the most of this opportunity, finishing fifth in the FBS in punting average.
After an outstanding 2021 season, Baringer continued to impress in 2022, finishing first in average yards per punt among all FBS punters. His exceptional performance caught the attention of draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr, who ranked Baringer as the number-one punter in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Baringer has a big leg, with a 60-plus yard punt in eight of his twelve games last season and a 65-plus yard punt in six of his twelve games last season. Baringer will likely need to improve his hang-time as he finished 27th out of 50th in the FBS in 2022 (among all FBS punters), but it seems he could have already been working at that this off-season as some observed it to be improved at the Senior Bowl.
Here are Zierlein's comments on Baringer:
"Power punter able to flip the field with his great, big leg. He's currently more like a power pitcher who can hit a high number on the radar gun but is unable to control where it goes. He has the talent to kick on the next level but might need to dial it back and kick with better hang-time and short-field touch to truly impress NFL teams." — Zierlein, NFL.com
New England appears to have landed two prototypical "Patriot" type players in Baringer and Ryland, both players have cold weather experience, served as long-term starters and have inspiring underdog stories. While both players have earned high regard from experts, they still have areas that require improvement. As the transition to the NFL can be highly unpredictable for kickers and punters, only time will tell what the future holds for them.
Featured image via Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
