Well, as expected not too many specialists were drafted over the weekend in the 2011 NFL Draft. The one thing they have in common is the both have in common is they handled both duties in college. Lets take a look at the two specialists drafted and how smart of a move each selection was.
1) Alex Henery, Nebraska Kicker, Drafted by the Eagles…Round 4 Pick #120 –6’2 175 Punter and PlaceKicker
Awards
- First-Team All-American Place-Kicker (AP, Rivals.com, CBSSports.com, SI.com in 2010)
- Rudy Award Finalist (1 of 3)
- Lou Groza Award Semifinalist (2009, 2010)
- First-Team All-Big 12 Place-Kicker (AP, Dallas Morning News, Kansas City Star, San Antonio Express-News, Rivals.com in 2010; Dallas Morning News, Rivals.com in 2009)
- First-Team All-Big 12 Punter (Kansas City Star, ESPN.com in 2009)
- Second-Team All-Big 12 Punter (Coaches in 2010)
- Second-Team All-Big 12 Place-Kicker (Coaches, Phil Steele, Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2010; AP, Coaches, Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2009;
- AP, Kansas City Star, Dallas Morning News, San Antonio Express-News in 2008)
- Honorable-Mention All-Big 12 Punter (AP in 2010; Coaches in 2009)
- Honorable-Mention All-Big 12 Place-Kicker (Coaches in 2008)
- Lou Groza Award Star of the Week (2010 at Oklahoma State, 2009 vs. Va. Tech, at KU)
- Ray Guy Award Watch List (2009, 2010)
- Nebraska Special Teams MVP (2008, 2009, 2010)
- Nebraska Team Captain (2009, 2010)
- Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (three times in career)
- Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Nominee
- Second-Team Academic All-Big 12 (2010)
- School Record Career Scoring (397 points)
- School Record for Most Consecutive Made Field Goals (18, broken vs. Missouri, 2010)
- School Record for Most Field Goals in a Season (24 in 2009)
- School Record for Most Field Goals in a Career (68)
- School/Memorial Stadium Record Holder for Longest Field Goal (57 yards vs. CU, 2008)
- Guy Chamberlin Trophy
- Big 12 Commissioner’s Spring Academic Honor Roll (2010)
- Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Academic Honor Roll (2009, 2010)
- Brook Berringer Citizenship Team (2010)
Year GP FGM FGA LG XPM XPA
2007 12 8 8 41 45 45
2008 14 24 28 57 56 57
2009 14 24 25 55 38 38
2010 14 18 19 53 54 54
Totals 54 74 80 110 193 194
Henery was the consensus, best kicker in the draft coming out. Henery completed quite possibly the greatest college career for a placekicker including 14-14 in postseason kicks. If any have seen his kickoffs you will understand why he was drafted(consistently 8+ yards deep) as high as he was. As successfully predicted here by TKS, David Akers was unfortunately one of the few players up for replacement based on postseason performance and age. If Akers is replaced it will be the end to one of the most consistent kickers in the NFL and a sad way to see him go. Fortunately, the Eagles selected a the best Kicker ahead of everyone other team and didnt sacrifice too much in terms of using a “high” draft pick. For a team that had incredible depth and a great offense, they added yet another weapon. With Sav Rocca still going strong and Akers previous playoff performance it seems Henery will be solely focusing on the placekicking duties. Either way, based on his raw kicking strength, accurate, and clutch abilities, it looks like the placekicker for the next five to ten years.
2) Matt Bosher, University of Miami, Drafted by the Atlanta Falcons – Round 6, Pick #27 6’0 205
Awards
- 2010 ALL-ACC SECOND TEAM
- 2010 SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR (TEAM AWARD)
- 2010 LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
- 2009 ALL-ACC FIRST TEAM (KICKER)
- 2009 ALL-ACC SECOND TEAM (PUNTER)
- 2008 LOU GROZA AWARD SEMIFINALIST
- 2008 ALL-ACC SECOND TEAM
- 2008 JACK HARDING AWARD RECIPIENT (TEAM MVP)
Career Statistics
Year GP FGM FGA LG XPM XPA
2006 RS – – – – –
2007 12 0 0 0 0 0
2008 13 18 20 50 40 40
2009 12 14 16 52 50 50
2010 13 13 17 51 37 40
Totals 50 45 53 153 127 130
PUNTING
Year GS No. Yards Avg. Long 20 TB Blk
2007 12/12 58 2329 40.2 75 9 1 2
2008 13/13 66 2659 40.3 76 19 3 2
2009 12/12 51 2169 42.5 59 23 7 0
2010 13/13 59 2597 44.0 62 19 6 0
Totals 50/50 234 9754 41.7 76 70 17 4
Bosher is the stranger of the two selections because it is up in the air on what position Bosher will play. While he does have the ability to play both positions well, he was drafted as a punter. Based on statistics and scouts he was more highly regarded as a Kicker than a Punter. Conventional wisdom would think based on natural ability and age of potential player replacing, that Bosher would replace Jason Elam who is 41 vs Michael Koenen (punter) who is 28. While a draft grade cant be given until his performance is seen, it much like the rest of the Atlanta Falcons draft this would be considered a “reach”
Overall, not the greatest draft class, but a great addition to the NFL and I am eager to see what they how they do in the coming season.
The Kicking System 
Whew…sorry, I came across this because I was looking on info about place kickers drafted early, but once you referred to the Eagles Punter as “Sam” (real name: Saverio or Sav for short) and called him “so young” (he’s 37), you sorta lost me
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