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Best Defensife Backs
Special to NFL.com
This year's NFL Draft includes two players who assumed the kicking and punting duties on their respective team, as well as an SEC kicking legend. Teams certainly will be combing the list of kickers and punters to find the next Sean Landeta or Adam Vinatieri.
JEFF CHANDLER, FLORIDA
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| ANALYSIS | ||
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| This Jacksonville native clearly is one of the best kickers in the 2002 draft. In 2001, Chandler hit 19 of 22 field goals and was chosen to the Senior Bowl. Over the past two seasons, Chandler converted nearly 100 extra points and was responsible for more than 200 points for the Gators good enough to be UF's all-time leading scorer. Chandler's career-longest field goal is 54 yards, coming against Georgia in 2000. Chandler is known for his strategic elevation on kicks, booming the football high making it tough to block. | ||
| WHAT THEY'RE SAYING | ||
| "Reliable senior
kicker has performed well as both a placekicker and kickoff man for the
Gators. His consistency inside 40 yards will give him a chance to win a
starting kicking job early in his career."
Frank Coyle, CBS SportsLine.com |
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| MOMENTUM | ||
| Chandler's experience in big games (including SEC Championships and BCS games) will help him achieve success in the NFL. He has also spent several additional years in school, helping him mature into the kind of solid, unshakeable kicker NFL GMs dream of. | ||
TRAVIS DORSCH, PURDUE
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| ANALYSIS | ||
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| Dorsch was a solid kicker and a suitable punter for Purdue. He averages 48.1 yards per punt and landed 11 balls inside his opponents' 20-yard line. He was a consensus All-America punter. His place-kicking skills were equally impressive: 14 of 21 kicks from 40-plus yards were good during the past two years. Last season, he nailed three 50-yard field goals, the biggest being against Washington State in the Sun Bowl. | ||
| WHAT THEY'RE SAYING | ||
| "Dorsch has a
fairly strong leg but needs to get his punts off more quickly and not be
as deliberate. Reportedly, he made positive strides in this area."
Mel Kiper, Jr., ESPN "Purdue's Travis Dorsch can punt, place-kick and kick off, and he has a big-time leg, which he will often show off when punting. However, he is not a directional or ball-placement kicker, and Purdue used a pooch punter when it wanted the ball placed near the goal line." Joel Buschbaum, Pro Football Weekly |
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| MOMENTUM | ||
| A double threat in college, teams may consider drafting him to punt and kick although he is a better place-kicker. He played under a great offense in Purdue, so teams may notice his durability. Was an academic All-Big Ten player, which proves he has the mind to play in the big leagues. | ||
TAYLOR NORTHROP, PRINCETON
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| ANALYSIS | ||
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| An Ivy League kid in the pros? You bet! Accuracy, mechanics and consistency are Northrop's strengths. He finished 2001 with 14 of 18 field goals and 24 of 25 PATs made. Among his kicks, Northrop recorded the second-longest field goal in Princeton history a 52-yarder against Harvard his sophomore year. Northrop, like Dorsch, doubled as a punter for Princeton, punting 49 times for a 38.7 yard average. | ||
| WHAT THEY'RE SAYING | ||
| "Taylor Northrop
[is] a tremendous weapon"
Princeton Tigers head coach Roger Hughes "Northrop has a history of being a very good field-goal kicker that's where his future lies. He certainly has the leg strength, accuracy and technique. He reminds me of Matt Stover, whose kickoffs might not be that spectacular, but he is a very accurate record-setting kicker in the NFL." Mel Kiper, Jr., ESPN |
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| MOMENTUM | ||
| Very few Ivy Leaguers are in the NFL, but some who are in the NFL include Dolphins QB Jay Fielder (Dartmouth) and Chargers DE Marcellus Wiley (Columbia). They're not bad, so Northrop could follow in their footsteps. The key for Northrop is to continue working on his accuracy. Even if he's not drafted, Northrop should end up somewhere in the NFL. | ||
PUNTERS
DAVE ZASTUDIL, OHIO
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| ANALYSIS | ||
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| Zastudil hails from Bay Village, Ohio, but he rules the punting scene in his conference. As an Ohio Bobcat, he earned the Mid-American Conference special teams Player of the Year award in 1999 and 2001. He led the MAC in punting with a 45.6 average, and finished second nationally (Dorsch of Purdue was first) while becoming the first player in league history to win four punting titles. He also led the MAC in 1998 (45.3), 1999 (43.3) and 2000 (44.3). | ||
| WHAT THEY'RE SAYING | ||
| "The best punter
is Ohio Universitys left-footed Dave Zastudil, who has exceptional leg
strength and really good intangibles for a kicker."
Joel Buchsbaum, Pro Football Weekly "(Zastudil) probably will be playing on Sunday (in the NFL)." Ohio University head coach Brian Knorr |
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| MOMENTUM | ||
| Anyone who has been among the country's best punters for four consecutive years is worth consideration. While some general managers think they can find anyone to punt, others will see Zastudil as an asset. | ||
JEFF FERGUSON, OKLAHOMA
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| ANALYSIS | ||
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| Ferguson averaged 44 yards per punt on 71 punts in 2001. A finalist for the Ray Guy Award for most outstanding punter, Ferguson took over the punting duties full-time for the Sooners in 2000. He was also named first-team All-Big 12 by Football News, Associated Press, Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. | ||
| WHAT THEY'RE SAYING | ||
| "One of the best
punters in the nation."
Kirk Bohls, Austin American-Statesman "He's an excellent kicker, he's really
strong and I'm very pleased with him."
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| MOMENTUM | ||
| As a key component on the Sooners' 2000 national championship team, Ferguson has the nerves and patience to play for a winner in the NFL. His awards speak for themselves, proving that he is one of the top punters in the draft this year. | ||
| OTHER KICKERS | |||
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| NAME | COLLEGE | HEIGHT | WEIGHT |
| Zac Derr | Akron | 5-8 | 155 |
| Tim Duncan | Oklahoma | 6-2 | 198 |
| Hayden Epstein | Michigan | 6-2 | 200 |
| Todd France | Toledo | 6-3 | 185 |
| Cameron Peterka | N. Dakota | 6-4 | 190 |
| OTHER PUNTERS | |||
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| NAME | COLLEGE | HEIGHT | WEIGHT |
| Craig Jarrett | Michigan St. | 6-2 | 215 |
| Casey Roussel | Tulane | 6-1 | 215 |
| Adam Wulfeck | Cincinnati | 6-0 | 225 |
