Inigo Montoya Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I expect to get some heat for this opinion, but the pick I'm most excited about is Tyler Bass. It looks like he has the potential to be an elite NFL kicker. I've watched a video of him kick a fifty yard field goal standing stationary and just swinging his leg. He hammered a 60 yarder with one step. He says he hit a 71 yarder with a bit of a tailwind a couple weeks ago. He was the consensus best kicker coming out of the college ranks this year. After the QB, the place kicker is the one player on a football team who is most likely to win or lose a game for the team. A team with an iffy kicking game is in a very bad place, you see it every week in the League. We all remember Hauschka's mid season slump last year. Playing in New Era Field with the winds and weather makes the kicking game even more dicey. If Tyler Bass is as good as the draftniks say he is, he will likely have a bigger impact on the future of this franchise than any other player Beane drafted last week. Imagine the luxury of having a Justin Tucker on our team or a Vinatieri or Gostkowski in their prime? Tucker has a cannon for a leg and Harbaugh in Baltimore has no qualms sending Tucker out for 60+ yard field goals. He's just about automatic. In today's NFL with shoddy kicking all over the place, having a great place kicker is literally a game changer. Beane grabbing Bass with the 188th pick in the 6th round could turn out to be the most important Bill's pick of this year's draft. 13 2 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StHustle Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 You make great points. It has always amazed me how so many fans seem to put little value in the kicker as if a good one comes a dime a dozen. It's just as hard to find a great kicker as it is a great QB. And these guys often end up becoming the leading scorer for their respective franchises. Great post...just hope he is the real deal... 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Boy Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I’m in!!! Steve Christie was the man. I said in the draft grade thread that Bass becoming the long term answer was the pick to kick this years class into the A+ range. My question: How does a southern kicker handle The Ralph’s weather? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Few fans put little value into a K. The question is should you use a draft pick on one and if so, is he the right one? Hopefully Bass is the guy for the next decade. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eSJayDee Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I believe I saw inside the 50, he hit 93% of his FGs this yr. I'd think that's impressive for a college guy (they usually have room for development once they turn pro). Granted, he has the potential. Hard to tell w/ kickers, as much of the determination is binary. We had a good kicker here a couple yrs ago & let him go. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inigo Montoya Posted April 28, 2020 Author Share Posted April 28, 2020 (edited) 17 minutes ago, Doc said: Few fans put little value into a K. The question is should you use a draft pick on one and if so, is he the right one? Hopefully Bass is the guy for the next decade. I think that if we didn't draft him and he made it through the last two rounds without some other team selecting him, there is no way he signs with the Bills as an UDFA. No kicker in their right mind would chose to kick in New Era. They all want to kick in a dome. I'm sure a dozen different teams would have tried to sign him and bring him to camp to compete with their kicker and we would have lost out. Compared to another player who we could have gotten in the 6th round with this selection, I think Bass probably has the most potential to make the team and be a difference maker. He seems to have the tools. Let's hope he is the real deal. Edited April 28, 2020 by Inigo Montoya 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 1 minute ago, Inigo Montoya said: I think that if we didn't draft him and he made it through the last two rounds without some other team selecting him, there is no way he signs with the Bills as an UDFA. No kicker in their right mind would chose to kick in New Era. I'm sure a dozen different teams would have tried to sign him and bring him to camp to compete with their kicker and we would have lost out. Compared to another player who we could have gotten in the 6th round with this selection, I think Bass probably has the most potential to make the team and be a difference maker. He seems to have the tools. Let's hope he is the real deal. Oh, I'm not saying they shouldn't have drafted him, mostly because what you said is right. I think that most people are loathe to see their team draft kickers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JESSEFEFFER Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 (edited) There is not much patience for developing a kicker. They have little time to win the job and they better not cost their team any wins. One option is to transition with a kickoff/long fg specialist but using 2 roster spots on kickers is not popular either. Edited April 28, 2020 by JESSEFEFFER 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbo44 Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 8 minutes ago, eSJayDee said: I believe I saw inside the 50, he hit 93% of his FGs this yr. I'd think that's impressive for a college guy (they usually have room for development once they turn pro). Granted, he has the potential. Hard to tell w/ kickers, as much of the determination is binary. We had a good kicker here a couple yrs ago & let him go. Nope he hit around that % 2 years ago, last year he was 20 for 28 which isn’t good . Love his strong leg, but if he isn’t accurate, it won’t matter. Making 60 yarders with a one step approach means sh$t if you miss 35 yarders 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Brown Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 (edited) Hold on. Let me see Folk nail two 53 yarders against us. Yup. Kicker's important. Edited April 28, 2020 by Doc Brown 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flip Johnson Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Because of the investment of the pick, I would guess he is very likely to make the team. If he struggles in camp the team might still keep him on as a KO specialist. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 28 minutes ago, Doc said: Few fans put little value into a K. The question is should you use a draft pick on one and if so, is he the right one? Hopefully Bass is the guy for the next decade. They need a starting K for the future. Drafting one now rather than a guy who would be 7th on the depth chart at some other position is a smart move. The other option is what, to overpay some vet later? Or to end up with a disastrous situation like Chicago? This is a luxury that comes with building depth at core positions. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 19 minutes ago, Doc said: Oh, I'm not saying they shouldn't have drafted him, mostly because what you said is right. I think that most people are loathe to see their team draft kickers. As opposed to some other guy who is at least as likely to not make the roster? Good kicker is a top point scorer. Nothing wrong with drafting one. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannc Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 1 minute ago, Mr. WEO said: As opposed to some other guy who is at least as likely to not make the roster? Good kicker is a top point scorer. Nothing wrong with drafting one. Place kicker is the most underrated position in football. A great kicker can be the difference in 2-3 games per season—the difference between making the playoffs and being home for New Years. Other than QB, you can’t say that about many other positions. It’s no accident that very few playoff teams have below average kickers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherlock Holmes Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 Please let him be better than Tucker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 The big leg is all well and good, but a kicker worth keeping has to be accurate. They also need to have a good head on their shoulders where they forget the missed kicks so it doesn't affect them going forward. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billieve420 Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 With expanded rosters they could decide to keep 2 kickers. Bass handle kick offs and extra long FG attempts over 50 yds. Now if he lights it up during training camp and outplays hausch money maybe they move on but doubt they would go with a rookie. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyDays Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I'll be nervous if we're relying on him to start for us this year. Hauschka has dropped off and he can't kick a 50 yarder to save his life but at least I know what I'm getting with him. You could argue he was our MVP in the playoff game and I think if we had gotten into position to kick the game winner there would be no talk of moving on from him. This season is our best chance at a championship in a long time and the last thing I want is an unknown rookie kicker on the field for game deciding field goals. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALLEN1QB Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 I hope he does well. Didn't the Raiders take a kicker in the 1st round one year? How crazy was that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralonzo Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 9 minutes ago, billieve420 said: With expanded rosters they could decide to keep 2 kickers. Bass handle kick offs and extra long FG attempts over 50 yds. Now if he lights it up during training camp and outplays hausch money maybe they move on but doubt they would go with a rookie. Why would you draft a kicker if you don't want a rookie kicker? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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