The Browns selected Cade York in the fourth round of the draft, and you would think that will end their kicking issues. But the miss rate for rookie kickers is a lot higher than you might expect.
Of the last 10 kickers selected in the fifth round, for example, none of them have lasted three years with the team that drafted them. A few of those kickers have gone on to have good careers, but only after being released by the teams that originally selected them (Daniel Carlson, Matt Gay and Jake Elliott).
(On the fifth-round guys, I’m sure Evan McPherson will end the streak (of not lasting three years) but he is only a third of the way there.)
With kickers selected in the first four rounds, the hit rate gets a little higher. Four of the seven chosen in the 32-team era (since 2002) have lasted three years. But I would say that only two of the seven have been successful picks. Stephen Gostkowski and Nate Kaeding had great careers, but I don’t think the Jets and Eagles in hindsight would have chosen Mike Nugent and Alex Henery, even if they each lasted three years.
These are just numbers, of course. Cade York, I am confident, will complete his four-year rookie contract. He connected on 15 of his 19 field goals from 50-plus at Louisiana State, including a 57-yard game-winner against Florida. He’s a much stronger prospect than the kicker the Browns selected in the fifth round three years ago. Austin Seibert (who lasted only one season) was only 1 of 3 on kicks from 50-plus in his four years at Oklahoma.
| KICKERS SELECTED IN FIRST FIVE ROUNDS OF THE DRAFT | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Rd | Pk | Player | School | G |
| 2005 | 2 | 47 | • Mike Nugent, NYJ | Ohio State | 49 |
| 2016 | 2 | 59 | Roberto Aguayo, T.B. | Florida State | 16 |
| 2004 | 3 | 65 | • Nate Kaeding, S.D. | Iowa | 113 |
| 2002 | 4 | 102 | Jeff Chandler, S.F. | Florida | 8 |
| 2002 | 4 | 109 | Travis Dorsch, Cin. | Purdue | 1 |
| 2006 | 4 | 118 | • Stephen Gostkowski, N.E. | Memphis | 204 |
| 2011 | 4 | 120 | • Alex Henery, Phi. | Nebraska | 48 |
| 2022 | 4 | 124 | Cade York, Cle. | Louisiana State | ? |
| 2004 | 5 | 137 | • Josh Scobee, Jac. | Louisiana Tech | 168 |
| 2019 | 5 | 145 | Matt Gay, T.B. | Utah | 16 |
| 2021 | 5 | 149 | Evan McPherson, Cin. | Florida | 17+ |
| 2017 | 5 | 153 | Jake Elliott, Cin. | Memphis | 0 |
| 2020 | 5 | 159 | Justin Rohrwasser, N.E. | Marshall | 0 |
| 2007 | 5 | 160 | Justin Medlock, K.C. | UCLA | 1 |
| 2012 | 5 | 161 | Randy Bullock, Ten. | Texas A&M | 35 |
| 2013 | 5 | 166 | Caleb Sturgis, Mia. | Florida | 32 |
| 2018 | 5 | 167 | Daniel Carlson, Min. | Auburn | 2 |
| 2019 | 5 | 170 | Austin Seibert, Cle. | Oklahoma | 16 |
| 2009 | 5 | 172 | David Buehler, Dall. | Southern Cal | 36 |
—Ian Allan