The 2024 New York Jets went 0-7 in games decided by six points or less.
When that happens, it often comes down to one of the game’s most underrated facets: kicking.
Due to a catastrophic year from previously trusty veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein, the Jets ranked 30th in both field goal percentage (71.4%) and extra point percentage (90.3%) during the 2024 season. The Cleveland Browns were the only other team to rank in the bottom five of both categories.
Going into 2025, the only kickers on the Jets’ roster are Zuerlein and Anders Carlson, who also struggled across five games for New York in 2024. Carlson missed two of his 10 field goal attempts, both from under 50 yards, and he also whiffed on two of only 11 extra point attempts.
It is not an ideal situation. Undoubtedly, the Jets will have the kicker position on their radar when they reach the third day of the NFL draft.
But should they?
The recent history of kickers who were selected in the NFL draft is not encouraging.
Over the past 10 drafts (2015-24), 18 kickers have been selected. On average, these players have a career field goal percentage of 82.1% and a career extra point percentage of 94.6%. For perspective, the 2024 league averages were 84% and 95.8%, respectively.
Despite the fact that drafted kickers are among the absolute best prospects at the position (considering that less than two of them are selected per draft), drafted kickers have actually performed worse than the average NFL kicker.
Less than half (8 of 18) of the kickers drafted over the past decade have a career field goal percentage above the 2024 league average of 84%. In fact, the 2024 season was a down year for kickers; the 2023 league was 85.9%. Only three of the 18 kickers drafted since 2015 have a career field goal percentage above 85.9%.
Meanwhile, in the 2024 season, four of the league’s five most accurate kickers were undrafted:
- Nick Folk, 95.5% (Drafted)
- Brandon McManus, 95.2% (UDFA)
- Chase McLaughlin, 93.8% (UDFA)
- Matthew Wright, 93.8% (UDFA)
- Chris Boswell, 93.2% (UDFA)
Over a large sample of recent history, there is a negligible difference between drafted and undrafted kickers. Since 2019, drafted kickers have made 84.1% of their field goal attempts compared to 84.6% for undrafted kickers.
There is no evidence suggesting a kicker who was drafted has a better chance of being successful than one who was not. Therefore, the Jets should not burn a draft pick on a kicker. Waiting to scoop one up in the UDFA market is the best bet.
This draft class includes some solid kicker prospects, including Miami’s Andres Borregales (94.7% field goal percentage in 2024), Pittsburgh’s Ben Sauls (87.5%), and Florida State’s Ryan Fitzgerald (100% on 13 attempts).
However, none of these prospects have a high likelihood of being drafted. Per the consensus big board at NFL Mock Draft Database, Borregales (No. 255) is the only kicker prospect ranked within range of the draft’s 257 total picks. Every other kicker prospect is outside the top 300.
The Jets should not have much trouble scooping up a talented young kicker after the draft. Using a draft pick on the position would be a waste of resources.
