NFL Draft 2011: Kickers Projected to Go on Draft Day

Young kickers seldom make the week one roster in the NFL, but they do get drafted. This years’ crop features a few guys with a chance to make a difference at the pro level. The Seahawks, Niners, Redskins and Ravens could all use help at the position. While teams tend to favor free agent veterans over the guys coming out of college, I see three getting drafted on April, 28^th.

Alex Henery, Nebraska

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 04: Kicker Alex Henery #90 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers celebrates after kicking a field goal against the Oklahoma Sooners at Cowboys Stadium on December 4, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Henery’s only miss in 2010 came on a 51-yard attempt, which was blocked. Nebraska’s all-time scoring leader with 397 points set the NCAA record for field goal accuracy at 89.5%. He also handled punting duties for the Cornhuskers and averaged 41.4 yards per attempt. Far and away as the best kicker in the draft, Henery could be gone by the end of the fourth round.

Kai Forbath, UCLA

Harry How/Getty Images

PASADENA, CA - NOVEMBER 06: Kai Forbath #25 of the UCLA Bruins kicks a last second field goal to win the game 17-14 over the Oregon State Beavers during the fourth quarter at the Rose Bowl on November 6, 2010 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How

He finished second in career scoring at UCLA and tied John Lee for the most field goals in school history with 85. Forbath has a strong leg and has consistently hit his kicks over 50 yards. The 49ers have already held a workout to evaluate the 23-year-old and he could go as early as the sixth round. 2009 was his better season and he likely would have gone higher in the 2010 draft.

Josh Jasper, LSU

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 20: Josh Jasper #30 of the Louisiana State University Tigers against the Ole Miss Rebels at Tiger Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Jasper led the nation in field goals with 28. He led the SEC in field goal percentage at 82.4 and was tenth in the nation in scoring with 9.2 points per game. Stuck behind Henery and Forbath, chances are he might not make the cut. If he isn’t taken in the seventh round, he should have a fairly decent shot at making an NFL roster as a free agent.