The reason he excels so much as a punt returner is his decisiveness. The . He was tied for seventh in punt returns and led the league with a 13.8 yards per return average among qualified players. Might see a bit of a committee though. This job could easily go to Darnay Holmes and/or Adoree Jackson and Toney only returned one punt all last season, but the potential impact he could have in this role make him worth noting and monitoring here. More impressive is his directional and positional consistency, with over half his punts (52.7%) landing inside the 20-yard line last season and 42% of his career punts pinning opponents deep in their own territory. Slayton was expected to do the work, but it looks like maybe in a reserve role now. 87th annual meeting of NFL franchises to select newly eligible players, San Francisco received an additional third-round selection and another 2023 third-round selection when Miami hired 49ers offensive coordinator. Duvernay had a nice season on special teams in 2021, getting the bulk of both kick and punt return work and being fairly efficient at both. DeAndre Carter, Chargers Carter seems to be greatly overlooked, even by teams (hes changed uniforms several times in his 4-year career), but I noticed that hes been a pretty strong returner in every location. Add in 200-300 return yards and hell be an RB2 option in return-yardage leagues. He's an experienced writer with a background in communication, business and alcoholic beverages. Fastest players in the NFL 2022. . Forget the quarterback conversation, the top kickers and punters in the 2023 draft class have the potential to kick that competition into next week. Update 9/6/22: Jones is a good returner, but he's also looking awfully good on defense. Grant is the roster-bubble guy to keep an eye on. Last year the Felger and Mazz Big Board . He didnt have his best punt returning season, which is probably why his streak of 3 straight Pro Bowl selections as a returned was snapped. If Patterson is more of a role player, he will likely return to his role as one of the more prolific kick returners in NFL . The NFL's top seven kick returners. He didnt return many punts (only 15), but when he did, he was good at it, with 13.4 yards per return. Tyler Allgeier is a big and powerful running back from BYU. Multi-use special-teams weapon Jack Browning has the potential to place himself in consideration for selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. Hes a ball-striking sensation, a special-teams wonder. More league info. Falcons Digital Managing Editor. The exclusive-rights free agent had 697 yards with a long of 47 while averaging 24.9 per return. Jakeem Grant leads the way as we rank the Top 10 NFL Punt Returners of the 2021-2022 season going into the 2023 NFL season. NFL Draft: Four kick returners who could offer the Rams more than speed. Thats a pretty big statement. This battle may not be fully settled, but White has interesting double-dip potential as the possible pass-catcher there as well. Age: 27. But he mirrors well out of the slot when hes not bullied by bigger receivers and he was an effective returner in college, scoring a total of nine touchdowns six kicks and three punts through four years in college. Hes been used less as a kick returner, though hes averaged a consistent 23.2 yards per KR, which puts him in the middle of the pack. The first round was held on Thursday, April 28, and was followed by the second and third rounds on Friday, April 29. Its been 20 years since Michigan had a kicker selected in the NFL draft. The best-case scenario for fantasy managers is that Kadarius Toney wins this job, but theres a lot to sort out on the Giants roster before we can say who will be the primary return specialist in New York this year. Hill to Cincinnati Bengals for OL Billy Price", "Green Bay Packers trade CB Ka'Dar Hollman to Houston Texans", "Falcons make it official, trade for tight end Lee Smith", "Ravens Trade for Tight End Josh Oliver, a Former Third-Round Pick", "Rams ship CB Aqib Talib, fifth-rounder to Dolphins", "Patriots reportedly trade for Dolphins receiver Isaiah Ford", "Panthers put Troy Pride Jr. on IR, trade Greg Little", "Patriots Make Roster Moves to Reach 53-Man Roster Limit; Acquire OL Yasir Durant in a Trade with Kansas City", "Bills agree to acquire quarterback Case Keenum in trade with Browns", "Titans trade first-round pick Isaiah Wilson to Dolphins", "Short-handed Denver Broncos send draft choice to Minnesota Vikings for Stephen Weatherly", "Chargers trade #254, #255 to Bears for 2023 6th-round pick", "The NFL draft was just another wild night in Vegas. Copyright Intense Industries, LLC. Rule 1: Kick Returns are More Valuable than Punt Returns. With three games remaining on the season, Ruggles has stretched that to 177 consecutive extra-point conversions. With Jakeem Grant gone, the Bears have an opening for the primary punt returner. Here are the 18 defensive backs that PFF has listed in the 2nd version of their 2022 NFL Draft Guide . Michael Thomas, first-round draft pick Chris Olave, and veteran slot receiver Jarvis Landry, but Harty should have no trouble keeping his role on special teams. Hes also averaged 46.1 yards a punt with a 64-yard long while dropping almost half his punt attempts inside the 20. Taylors 45.8-yard average speaks to his consistent ability to boom the ball. After a difficult 2021 season, the fifth-year kicker is in the running for the Lou Groza Award (which he won as a freshman) and finds himself on the Shrine Bowl 1000 Watchlist. Matt Corral may push Sam Howell as the potential top quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL draft. Although he has a career-long of 54 yards demonstrating his leg power, Moodys converted under 50% of his 50+ yard attempts this year. 120: New Orleans Washington Carolina, No. Having missed all of his 50+ yard attempts a year ago, Dunn has shown impressive development this season and should attract attention next April. His 45.7% career inside the 20 aided by multiple drops inside the 10 is amongst the highest in the class. This could change rapidly. . That week 3 play, a 109-yard return on a short end-of-half FG, tied the NFL record for longest return play. The Minnesota Vikings completed the largest comeback in NFL history, a perfect start to the current streak of holidays. Looking to Day 2, Day 3 and priority free agency, here are some other return options in the 2022 NFL Draft. Or write about sports? A new entry into the top five kickers in the 2023 NFL Draft, Christopher Dunn has been a bright spark for a North Carolina State program that had high expectations coming into the 2022 CFB season. The Patriots are notorious for waiting until the last minute to publish final depth charts and fantasy managers will want to monitor them right up until opening kickoff. Shi Smith earned the job in Carolina out of camp last year, and if Roberts doesnt make the roster he may get another chance. Last year, there were no rule changes affecting return specialists. His best year was definitely his most recent, as he averaged 25.1 yards per kick return in 2021 (4th-best in the NFL). Pringle is gone, and in comes a slew of new wide receiver options in Kansas City, leaving Hardman as a huge question mark. When last season started, Roberts was a Texan. Tre Brown was our 4th-round pick last year, played well before . This is where fantasy owners in return yardage leagues should stand up and take notice. He was one of the most consistent kickers in the 2021 season, hitting 95.2% of his field goals and stretching his extra-point conversions to 122 straight. Required fields are marked *, document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "aa2c91222057e868db97fe1c41083b1e" );document.getElementById("h80aa05151").setAttribute( "id", "comment" );Comment *. Which cannon-legged clutch kickers are set to follow in the footsteps of recently drafted dynamos such as Cade York, Evan McPherson, and Tyler Bass? 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney, who has made . This was mostly Moore last year, but Dortch is listed on the initial depth chart. Dax Milne has been very good at securing the punt, but . Hes 100% on both field goals and extra points, while demonstrating his leg power with a 53-yard long against FSU. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) While offense and defense (rightly) get most . Update: I'm officially concerned about KaVontae Turpin, who has been electric in the preseason, and now seems like a lock for the final 53. While teams have sometimes suffered consequences of injuries using their top defenders in the return game, a few teams inevitably continue to expose significant starters to brutal hits on special teams. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. (54 yards), and extra-point percentage (100%) in 2022 matches . If Schwartz wins the job, hes more likely to be a return specialist only. The Green Bay Packers have taken an interest in a blazing-fast receiver from the 2022 NFL . His career-long punt of 78 yards is one of the longest of all 2023 NFL Draft-eligible punters. 2022 NFL Kick & Punt Returns. View the 2022 NFL kickoff return statistical leaders as well as statistics and stats from past NFL seasons. 122, select RB Zamir White", "Defensive lineman Neil Farrell Jr. selected after Raiders trade up to No. 2022 (7/0) Made his NFL debut in the season opener at Miami (9/11), rotating in as a defensive back. If C.J. Kickers: Younghoe Koo, K, Falcons. While earning an honorable mention in our preseason list of kickers in the 2023 NFL Draft, Syracuses Andre Szmyt has elevated his game to the point where he should be considered one of the best in the nation. Height: 5-10. Spread the love. While nailing every extra-point attempt for the Tar Heels, he had limited field-goal success during his time there. Honorable Mention for the Top Kickers in the 2023 NFL Draft, Honorable Mention for the Top Punters in the 2023 NFL Draft. 1. The Mevis name has a presence in the NFL draft for the second year in succession. Follow #ReturnerRotations on Twitter, which Ill use for notes right up until the start of the regular season. This season, Dunn has showcased both power and consistency as a 2023 NFL Draft kicking prospect. At every turn, Flowers beat the odds in 2022, from making the Colts' 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent out of Pittsburg State to leading the NFL in yards per kickoff return. Expect Roberts to once again be among the league leaders in return yardage. Hardman is sketchy here, so watch the training camp battle. That was his second run, the second-fastest of all wide receivers at the . Ive been around a lot of them.. Neither type of returner will be favored over the other, but a player who does both might get a few brownie points. Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame, Jr. . The depth chart keeps changing, but this is looking like the Week 1 tandem. The draft concluded with rounds 4-7 on Saturday, April 30. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Washington will be fending off Tyrie Cleveland for this role and I doubt both make the roster. Since the 2021 draft, the NFL, under 2020 Resolution JC-2A, rewards teams for developing minority candidates for head coach and/or general manager positions. If Roberts makes the roster, it'll be for this purpose. Luckily, the 2022 NFL draft offers plenty of star power and depth at multiple positions on defense. The Patriots historically draft and coach up cornerbacks effectively, so taking a flyer on Jones in leagues with a designated cornerback slot might be worth the late-round or waiver-wire gamble. Hes no slouch as a kick returner either, as he amassed 676 yards at 24.1 yards per return in 2021.6. BNB Football is the best place for in-depth analysis of 2022 NFL draft fullback prospects at all levels of college football. Watch for this to change, as it doesn't seem like the team is set yet. 94: Kansas City New England Carolina, No. . SEASONAL REVIEWS. 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