The Detroit Lions Don’t Need to Draft a Kicker Anymore
The Detroit Lions require UFL kicker Jake Bates to sign.
2014 marked the last NFL Draft pick made by the Detroit Lions as a kicker.
Nate Freese did not work out, regrettably
The only thing Detroit’s team was renowned for during the previous few decades was futility; nevertheless, the team did have dependable kickers who spent a number of years playing in Motown.
Jason Hanson, Matt Prater, and Eddie Murray were among them.
It’s been just a turnstile ever since Prater left. In search of a dependable kicker who can stay in Motown for more than a season, Detroit’s front staff has found it difficult.
Given the team’s lack of consistency at the position in recent years, another kicker should be added to the roster prior to training camp.
Numerous people urged gene
ral manager Brad Holmes to select a kicker in this year’s draft before the Michigan Panthers’ 2024 UFL season got underway.
After two field goals longer than sixty yards, kicker Jake Bates has emerged as a fan favorite in just two games.
It is risky to select a kicker in the Draft, as Special Teams Coach Dave Fipp recognized last year.
“I believe that selecting a kicker in the draft requires you to have a sense that this player has the potential to be a great fit for your team,” said Fipp before of the 2023 campaign.
I believe it’s widely known that in the past, there have been errors made when selecting players earlier in the draft who didn’t pan out. In the case of Sebastian Janikowski, for example, it’s possible that he worked out despite being selected as an early pick.
And, according to Fipp, “I do believe that the kicker position is very much hit or miss like a lot of others.”
“Not every player you believe to be the best entering the draft or from the draft that year is going to be the one who ends up playing great in this league and having a great career in this league. You never know which one.”
There have been conflicting outcomes for recent drafted kickers. Jason Mooemerging dy, Chad Ryland, and Anders Carlson were the three selected in the previous year’s draft.
To face Riley Patterson and Michael Badgley in training camp, the Lions signed John Parker Romo the previous season. Romo had kicked in the XFL before moving to Detroit.
