04-29-2017, 04:37 PM
(04-29-2017, 03:59 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: So is Elliott decent? I only knew about Gonzalez before the draft.
Me too. Maybe the article below will shed some light on this pick for us.
2017 NFL Draft results: Cincinnati Bengals pick Memphis kicker Jake Elliott in Round 5:
With the 153rd pick in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals have selected Memphis kicker, Jake Elliott. He was one of the most talented placekickers in this year’s draft class.
Elliott was the first kicker off of the board in the draft, and is known as being highly-accurate on his kicks with a decent leg on kickoffs as well.
Though the value of the position isn’t that high in NFL circles, kicker was seen as one of the Bengals’ biggest positions of need this season. This pick comes with Arizona State kicker Zane Gonzalez still on the board. Gonzalez was expected to be the first kicker selected in the 2017 NFL Draft, but, he’s sliding down as Elliott was selected first.
Though Elliott had a career 77.9 percentage on field goals in his career, he finished 202-of-202 on extra point tries. This was a huge area of focus for the team this offseason after Mike Nugent struggled through most of last season.
Elliott was a four-year starter with the Tigers, and was a Lou Groza finalist often as a collegian, which honors the nation’s best kicker. While the career numbers on field goals being under 80 percent is cause for concern, Elliott never missed a field goal from 30 yards or shorter in college and hit kicks from 40 yards or under at an 80 percent clip.
Gonzalez was another high-profile option at the position, but the selection of Elliott makes a lot of sense for the Bengals. After Nugent missed many critical kicks in 2016, the team brought in Randy Bullock, only to see him miss a potential game-winning kick against the Texans on Christmas Eve. [update-- miscommunication on delayed snap]
Bullock was re-signed this offseason, but even so, Bengals’ Director of Player Personnel, Duke Tobin, noted the need for the team to “find the next Justin Tucker” while at the NFL Combine. It remains to be seen if Elliott is that guy, but he’ll be competing for the 2017 kicking job with Bullock and Jonathan Brown.
Elliott now has the upperhand to become the Bengals’ kicker in 2017 and beyond and hopefully will ensure the Bengals don’t lose any games due to the kicking position, as was too often the case in 2016.
