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In the latest seven-round mock draft from Chad Reuter of NFL.com, the Indianapolis Colts added a kicker in the seventh round.
This is an addition that seems to fall into the under-the-radar category, but one that also could very much be in play after the team moved on from veteran Matt Gay recently.
At pick 232, Reuter had the Colts taking Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald. Over five seasons at Florida State, Fitzgerald would make 77.3% of his field goal attempts. This included going 12-for-17 from 40-49 yards and 6-of-10 from 50-plus.
In 2024 specifically, Fitzgerald had his best season, making 92.9% of his attempts, which included going 5-for-5 from over 50 yards, according to PFF.
"Fitzgerald turned a major corner after an erratic 2022 season and has been a picture of consistency since then," wrote Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. "He has proven he can hit the long field goal with consistent lift and ball flight. Fitzgerald needs to improve his hang time on kickoffs and must prove that inconsistencies with intermediate kicks are in the past."
Without Gay on the roster, the Colts still have Spencer Shrader, who they clearly have some decent level of confidence in; otherwise, they probably wouldn't have moved on from Gay.
However, Shrader, a 2024 undrafted rookie, is also quite inexperienced. Last season, with the Colts, Chiefs, and Jets, Shrader would go 9-for-9 on extra points and 5-for-5 on field goals, but had no attempts of 50-plus yards.
Assuming Shrader can be the guy for the Colts at kicker comes with obvious risks. The prudent move on GM Chris Ballard's part would be bringing in competition for that roster spot.
The best way to do that might be to bring in one of the top kicker prospects in this year's draft, which may mean spending a draft pick on the position.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Colts pick kicker in 7-round mock
Continue reading...
This is an addition that seems to fall into the under-the-radar category, but one that also could very much be in play after the team moved on from veteran Matt Gay recently.
At pick 232, Reuter had the Colts taking Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald. Over five seasons at Florida State, Fitzgerald would make 77.3% of his field goal attempts. This included going 12-for-17 from 40-49 yards and 6-of-10 from 50-plus.
In 2024 specifically, Fitzgerald had his best season, making 92.9% of his attempts, which included going 5-for-5 from over 50 yards, according to PFF.
"Fitzgerald turned a major corner after an erratic 2022 season and has been a picture of consistency since then," wrote Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. "He has proven he can hit the long field goal with consistent lift and ball flight. Fitzgerald needs to improve his hang time on kickoffs and must prove that inconsistencies with intermediate kicks are in the past."
Without Gay on the roster, the Colts still have Spencer Shrader, who they clearly have some decent level of confidence in; otherwise, they probably wouldn't have moved on from Gay.
However, Shrader, a 2024 undrafted rookie, is also quite inexperienced. Last season, with the Colts, Chiefs, and Jets, Shrader would go 9-for-9 on extra points and 5-for-5 on field goals, but had no attempts of 50-plus yards.
Assuming Shrader can be the guy for the Colts at kicker comes with obvious risks. The prudent move on GM Chris Ballard's part would be bringing in competition for that roster spot.
The best way to do that might be to bring in one of the top kicker prospects in this year's draft, which may mean spending a draft pick on the position.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Colts pick kicker in 7-round mock
Continue reading...
