Matt Araiza and the Draft

[4merper4mer]

1 hour ago, BigDingus said:

Absolutely no way you draft a punter in the first 3 rounds unless you're absolutely desperate. I wouldn't even draft one in the 4th round unless you have several additional picks throughout the draft, even if they're an immediate impact player.

 

Considering where this team's strengths are, do you really want to use a pick on someone who is only out there for 3 or 4 snaps a game, sometimes less? When the Bills are performing well (as they were in the playoffs), I don't want a valued draft pick going to someone who isn't even touching the field contributing to that.

 

Hell, they don't even get to at least put points on the board like a FG kicker who can literally win a game. Great punting is valuable, but ST coverage goes hand-in-hand with their success far more than a place holder does with a FG kicker. So sure, we can all envision the perfect scenario of punt pinning a team back & bouncing out of bounds at the 2 yard line, but that'll be relatively rare as opposed to pretty much anything else of value that happens on the field.

 

I'd rather have extra O-line, D-line, CB's, WR's, or even another RB before a punter... Just about anything else would be more impactful in 99% of snaps against key opponents throughout the year.

Agreed but it is silly that all the mocks people on this board put together have us taking him in the 6th or 7th.  He will 99.99% be gone well before the 5th is over.

[Jay_Fixit]

3 hours ago, hemma said:

He’d be an immediate starter.

Don’t pigeonhole immediate starters into a poorly reasoned, preset round.

Espensa was a 2nd rounder and from what I can see, will have less impact over his entire career than Araiza will have as a rookie.

 

If he’s there in the 3rd, run up there.  Our punter sucks and was by far the worst starter on the team.

He’s a punter.

 

Grow up.

[freester]

The biggest issue is he doesn’t hold for kicks. That is a huge weakness. 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

8 minutes ago, freester said:

The biggest issue is he doesn’t hold for kicks. That is a huge weakness. 

Ah...nothing to it.  There's websites and YouTube channels that show you that!

*
🙄😁
Books, too!

Edited March 11, 2022 by Ridgewaycynic2013

[unbillievable]

2021 7th(254) P. Harvin (Pit)

2020 6th(191) B. Mann (NYJ)

2020 7th (228) S. Hofrichter (Atl)

2019 4th (110) M. Wishnowsky (SF)

2019 5th (163) J. Bailey (NE)

2018 5th (149) M. Dickson (Sea)

2018 5th (172) JK Scott (GB)

2018 5th (173) J. Townsend (Oak)

2018 7th (247) L. Cooke (Jax)

2017 (None)

2016 6th (179) D. Kaser (SD)

2016 7th (228) R. Dixon (Den)

2016 7th (235) L. Edwards (NYJ)

2015 5th (165) B Pinion (SF)

2014 6th (191) P. O'donnell (Chi)

2013 5th (155) J. Locke (Min)

2013 5th (165) S. Martin (Det)

2012 3rd (70) B. Anger (Jax)

2012 6th (207) B. Nortman (Car)

2011 6th (192) M. Bosher (Atl)

 

 

 

"Generational" would mean he's better than anyone in the last 10 years. That puts him in 2nd/3rd round consideration.

[Milanos Milano]

On 3/10/2022 at 6:52 PM, 4merper4mer said:

Agreed but it is silly that all the mocks people on this board put together have us taking him in the 6th or 7th.  He will 99.99% be gone well before the 5th is over.

I would not be surprised if he goes in the 3rd or 4th. He is that good. 

13 hours ago, freester said:

The biggest issue is he doesn’t hold for kicks. That is a huge weakness. 

Do we have anybody on the team that is good at holding kicks outside of Haack? 

[JESSEFEFFER]

On 3/11/2022 at 10:38 PM, IronMaidenBills said:

I would not be surprised if he goes in the 3rd or 4th. He is that good. 

Do we have anybody on the team that is good at holding kicks outside of Haack? 

I was reading the thread on the mock drafts and the majority have the Bills drafting Araiza.  So I came back here to see the range of opinions on where we were willing to take him.  I think you are right about the round.  If he is as good as advertised I say he's gone before the start of the 4th round.  If the Bills get an IOL, WR and CB in some combination with their 1st 3 picks, I'd be ok with trading back into the bottom of the 3rd, ahead of the comp picks, to get him.  There is a clear opportunity to make the 2022 team better and getting Andersen and Wildgoose poached from the practice squad is a lesson learned about the reality of what having an elite, deep roster is.

 

He'll have lots of time to work with Ferguson and T Bass on holding skills.

[CSBill]

Take him in the 3rd!

 

With or without him, or whomever else we could draft in the 3rd, the Bills have one of the deepest and best rosters in the NFL right now. So why not pick a person who immediately makes one aspect of your team better? Isn't that the point of the draft?

[DJB]

On 3/11/2022 at 8:53 AM, freester said:

The biggest issue is he doesn’t hold for kicks. That is a huge weakness. 

 

Is this 100% true?

 

If so that probably at least makes him a better holder than Bojo. 

 

But seriously he doesn't hold? 

[JaCrispy]

No punter should ever go before the 5th round imo...just my own personal philosophy, but the job just isn’t that hard to do, or important enough (compared to other positions) where higher draft assets need to be spent...

 

Remember- it’s all about passing, and stopping the pass...So anything associated with those goals should always be prioritized...And punting is not one of them...👍

Edited March 27, 2022 by JaCrispy

[DJB]

1 minute ago, JaCrispy said:

No punter should ever go before the 5th round imo...just my own personal philosophy, but the job just isn’t that hard to do, or important enough (compared to other positions) where higher draft assets need to be spent...

 

Remember- it’s all about passing, and stopping the pass...So anything associated with those goals should always be prioritized...And punting is not one of them...👍

 

See I disagree. How many guys rounds 2 - 5 have the Bills drafted only to become busts or barely practice squad guys? 

 

Im not advocating for the punter in the 2nd but you drafting him you know you are getting a starter and a stud at that. 

 

Id take him round 3

[without a drought]

Bad teams prioritize punters. They really get to showcase them.

[Paul Costa]

Round 5 at the earliest. Even then that’s bold 🤭

[JaCrispy]

26 minutes ago, DJB said:

 

See I disagree. How many guys rounds 2 - 5 have the Bills drafted only to become busts or barely practice squad guys? 

 

Im not advocating for the punter in the 2nd but you drafting him you know you are getting a starter and a stud at that. 

 

Id take him round 3

Sorry, my friend, but I have to respectfully disagree...

 

If guys are becoming ‘busts’ it’s not because of the positions they play, but because of the Bills’ poor drafting/developing of those positions...

 

Second, acquiring the ‘best’ punter in college shouldn’t even be a concern when you have Josh Allen on your team, and you’re probably going to have around the fewest punts in the league- meaning, we are not a ‘playing for field position’ type of team when we have the best player in the game...

 

Our punter, last year, was the WORST in the league, statistically...Therefore, if we can just get a guy who is average, we are already light years ahead imo...no need to go crazy and spend day 2 picks on a ‘non football player’...👍

 

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by JaCrispy

[DJB]

13 minutes ago, JaCrispy said:

Sorry, my friend, but I have to respectfully disagree...

 

If guys are becoming ‘busts’ it’s not because of the positions they play, but because of the Bills’ poor drafting/developing of those positions...

 

Second, acquiring the ‘best’ punter in college shouldn’t even be a concern when you have Josh Allen on your team, and you’re probably going to have around the fewest punts in the league- meaning, we are not a ‘playing for field position’ type of team when we have the best player in the game...

 

Our punter, last year, was the WORST in the league, statistically...Therefore, if we can just get a guy who is average, we are already light years ahead imo...no need to go crazy and spend day 2 picks on a ‘non football player’...👍

 

 

 

Its not just the Bills who struggle rounds 3 - 7 all teams do. Statistically speaking players drafted in those rounds have a very low chance of being a successful player in the NFL. So why not draft a guy in those rounds who will be starter? 

 

 

[JaCrispy]

4 minutes ago, DJB said:

 

Its not just the Bills who struggle rounds 3 - 7 all teams do. Statistically speaking players drafted in those rounds have a very low chance of being a successful player in the NFL. So why not draft a guy in those rounds who will be starter? 

 

 

Good question...I would argue that even drafting solid depth in the middle rounds, that make the 53 man roster, are more important than the best punter...

Edited March 27, 2022 by JaCrispy

[DJB]

3 minutes ago, JaCrispy said:

Good question...I would argue that even drafting solid depth in the middle rounds, that make the 53 man roster, are more important than the best punter...

 

Fair enough and I respect it. 

 

For me although the punter position is likely one of the least important positions on an NFL team I still feel like a punter is more valuable then a backup player. 

[SoCal Deek]

People love to boast about some back up linebacker or Safety who becomes a punt team gunner stalwart for years … and they’re normally drafted in or around the 5th Round. Why is it so odd to imagine taking the guy who actually punts the ball? I know absolutely nothing about this kid, but if he’s a sure thing, you draft him…period! And if he can’t hold, you either train him, or have your backup QB do it…since Keenum is just sitting there all game/season long. 

[unbillievable]

55 minutes ago, DJB said:

 

Is this 100% true?

 

If so that probably at least makes him a better holder than Bojo. 

 

But seriously he doesn't hold? 

 

He doesn't hold because he also kicks field goals.

 

 

[DasNootz]

With a dynamic offense and a QB that will dare you to take 4th down chances, it may be more valuable to have a punter that can pin it than one that can boom it.  I would not use anything before 5th or 6th

 

We have glaring needs at IOL, CB and will need a WR.  Our first 4 rounds should address these needs (give me twoCBs to fight for starting roles)

Edited March 27, 2022 by DasNootz