The Unpredictable Trajectory of NFL Placekickers: A Persistent Challenge in Evaluation
The history of professional football demonstrates an unusual trajectory for placekickers, with many careers not aligning with college performance or draft position. Teams consistently face challenges in effectively evaluating and valuing kickers, leading to a unique level of career variability within the sport.
Kicker Career Variability: A Landscape of Surprises
Jason Myers recently solidified his place in history, converting all five field goal attempts in Seattle's Super Bowl victory, setting a new Super Bowl record. This extraordinary performance contributed to his 2025 season becoming the highest individual scoring season in NFL history, surpassing even LaDainian Tomlinson's 2006 rushing touchdown record. Myers's career trajectory is widely considered indicative of the profoundly unpredictable nature of the position.
"The high-leverage volatility and perceived randomness of the position remain an unsolved mystery within the sport."
Other examples further illustrate these unconventional paths:
- Sebastian Janikowski, famously drafted 17th overall in 2000, defied expectations to play an impressive 18 seasons.
- Cam Little, noted for exceptional range, was selected in the sixth round of the 2024 draft, a relatively late pick for his talent.
- Brandon Aubrey stands out, having never kicked in college and debuting in the NFL at age 28, yet achieving All-Pro status in every season since.
- Justin Tucker, a prominent and highly successful kicker, famously went undrafted despite a notable college career.
Jason Myers's Unconventional Path to Stardom
Myers's personal journey to the NFL was far from conventional. After four years at Marist, an FCS school where he made just 63% of his kicks, he pursued a professional career through the demanding Arena League.
His dedication was profound: Myers funded intensive kicking lessons with former NFL kicker Michael Husted by working as a valet. He meticulously reconfigured his technique and subsequently secured a position with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a 24-year-old rookie, successfully beating out an incumbent player. However, after just two seasons with Jacksonville, he was released due to inconsistent performance. Demonstrating resilience, he later made the Pro Bowl with the Jets before ultimately signing with the Seahawks in 2019, where he found sustained success.
NFL's Enduring Kicker Evaluation Challenges
NFL teams have historically struggled with the effective evaluation and valuation of kickers. Despite universally recognizing the importance of the position in modern football, there is ongoing confusion regarding scouting methodologies and player development strategies.
Interestingly, many successful NFL kickers emerge not from traditional collegiate pipelines but from independent instructional programs. Here, former professional kickers train aspiring players and facilitate opportunities with NFL scouts, bypassing conventional pathways. This persistent uncertainty in understanding and predicting kicker performance remains a significant puzzle within the sport.
The organizational response often highlights this struggle: Teams frequently release kickers after a limited number of poor performances. This practice underscores the ongoing uncertainty in understanding and predicting kicker effectiveness. This cycle of cutting and replacing kickers often continues without clear improvements in evaluation methods, perpetuating the enigmatic nature of the position.