It took until the first pick of the sixth round, but San Diego State Punter Matt Araiza was finally taken in the 2022 NFL Draft. If you told me before the draft that Araiza was going to be the THIRD punter selected, I would have thought you were crazy.
I’ve written about “Punt God” in the past. Based on historical precedent set by other great collegiate punters, it seemed as though Araiza was in play as early as the second or third round. Despite having a very good argument to be the best collegiate punter in history, Araiza was not selected until the sixth round. It’s baffling to say the least, but it at least means the SDSU product was one of the biggest steals of the 2022 NFL Draft.
In his junior year at SDSU, Araiza set records for 60-yard punts, 50-yard punts, and average punt distance.
This guy had as many 80-yard punts last year as the entire NFL managed since 2013. Why did he fall so far?
The Josh Allen of Punters
While looking into why Matt Araiza slid to the sixth round, I came across some interesting info.
Apparently kicking the ball the furthest isn’t the only thing you can want out of a punter? Is there system punting? I’m no football expert, but I’m pretty sure the only thing I want from a punter is KICK BALL FAR. In any case, NFL general managers didn’t consider Araiza to be the best punter. Although he has the biggest leg, he isn’t super refined or whatever. I can’t believe I’m talking about a punter being “refined,” but this brings me to my take: Matt Araiza is the Josh Allen of punting.
Look at what people said about Josh Allen early in his career. Huge arm. Lots of big play ability. Needs molding to reach full potential. Sound familiar? It should, because that’s basically the scouting report for Matt Araiza.
Buffalo seems like an apt landing spot for the Josh Allen of punters. Looks like Araiza has already taken to Bills Mafia.
Congrats to the Buffalo Bills for getting a big steal.
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