POV from an NFL Scout: My Most Difficult Position to Evaluate

Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesI started scouting in 1981, and the position that is easily the hardest for me to evaluate is kickers. By kickers I mean both punters and field goal kickers, and while on the surface it seems like it should be an easy task — placekickers need to be accurate and a punter needs distance and hang time — but the reality is it’s much more to it than that. .

The bottom line is it’s not as easy as it looks.

When evaluating regular position players you can watch tape and get a feel for how productive he is at his specific position. In my opinion when looking at kickers on tape it only tells part of the story. Sure, we can see how accurate a kicker…