2022 NFL Draft – Punter Rankings

Complete NFL Draft Rankings – P:

You are currently viewing the best punters in the 2022 NFL Draft. Our top punter prospects are selected after thousands of hours carefully scouting the best special teamers in college football. Even though no more than 3 will get selected in the draft, several will be signed as free agents, and many more will receive a training camp invite. Find who is worthy of a draft pick, and who is likely nothing more than a training camp body. Find draft sleepers, draft stars, who will be a bust, and who is being undervalued.

BNB Football is the best place for in-depth analysis of 2022 punter prospects at all levels of college football. To view other positions, follow the links below.

(Last Updated:  April 26, 2022)

2022:  | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | EDGE | LB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

Jordan Stout began his career as a kickoff specialist at Virginia Tech, before transferring to Penn State and developing into potentially the top punter in the nation. Stout is a big guy at 6’3" 210 pounds who can slam kickoffs out of the back of the end zone with ease. He’s been able to develop that power into his punts as well. With a quick and smooth NFL style punt, he was able to get a very solid 46 yards per punts, while pinning opponents inside the 20 yard line 35 times, opposed to just 3 touchbacks. He also forced fair catches on 45% of his kicks, which was near the top in the nation. He gets great hang time on his kicks, and is one of the most accurate punters in the nation, easily commanding spin and offering plus traits as a directional kicker.

2021 Stats

67 punts: 46.0 yards per punt, 35 inside-20, 3 touchbacks, 30 fair catches (44.8%)

Araiza has the biggest leg in the draft, there’s no doubt about that. There’s so much hype surrounding him it feels like a sin to put him #2. Averaging over 51 yards per punt is pretty insane, and landing 37 kicks inside the 20 yard line is also impressive. Araiza is a converted soccer player with a fast and powerful kick who can truly flip the field, but he still needs a lot of work on his accuracy. While accuracy is easier to coach than power, his propensity to outkick his coverage and ridiculous number of touchbacks make it hard for a team to take him on as a rookie. If he spends some time on a practice squad and gets good coaching, he could turn into one of the best punters in the league. But he really needs to convert some of his power into extra hang time and work on controlling his spin off his kicks.

2021 Stats

79 punts: 51.2 yards per punt, 37 inside-20, 15 touchbacks, 17 fair catches (21.5%)

Jake Camarda was far and away my top punter prospect entering the year, but had an unspectacular season by his standards. He had a large number of touchbacks, and his overall stats weren’t too impressive other than the 46.7 yard per punt mark. Beyond the numbers, Camarda is the most mechanically sound punter in the draft. He has an extremely fast leg and gets the punt off in no time, making it extremely difficult to pressure him. He punts from a clean stance like NFL teams prefer. Camarda gets good hang time under his punts when he can punt in an open field, and he’s a great directional kicker with good command of his spin.

2021 Stats

47 punts: 46.7 yards per punt, 17 inside-20, 6 touchbacks, 14 fair catches (29.7%)

While Ryan Wright could use some work on his accuracy, he has an extremely powerful leg that not only travels a long way, but has incredible hang time that’s hard to return. His 47.5 yard punting average was assisted a bit by the number of long-field punts he needed to take, as he didn’t have to worry about pinning teams inside the 20 very often. Wright is a former QB with good athleticism to help with fake punts, and is a very big guy (6’3" 245) who could also make some tackles in punt coverage. While his accuracy needs some work, he’s shown improvement in this area and has “plus" leg strength by NFL standards.

2021 Stats

51 punts: 47.5 yards per punt, 15 inside-20, 6 touchbacks, 23 fair catches (45.1%)

Trenton Gill is a pro style punter with extra size (6’4" 220 pounds) and a big leg. He showed great touch inside the 20 yard line this past season, and got consistent hang time. Gill averaged at least 44.9 yards per punt each of his 3 seasons as a starter, and decided to forego his extra year of eligibility after being named 1st team All-ACC. Gill was a great kickoff specialist to boot, providing extra versatility. Gill has room to add extra power to his kicks, and the only main concern will be the two blocked punts earlier in his career. He can long-step into his punts, and will need to work to speed up the process a bit.

2021 Stats

65 punts: 45.0 yards per punt, 31 inside-20, 5 touchbacks, 23 fair catches (35.4%)

Complete 2022 P draft rankings

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2022:  | QB | WR | RB | FB | TE | OT | G | C | DT | EDGE | LB | S | CB | K | P | LS | OVERALL |

I didn’t have much to say about the kickers, but I always love talking about my punters. The top of this class has quite a few players with legitimate NFL potential. Scouts know the big legs of Araiza, Stonehouse, and Camarda, but players like Stout, Hayes, and Young have some truly elite accuracy on their kicks. We’re also seeing some bigger punters this year, some of who even look like they could take the field at a different position. A number of these guys are experienced in all three disciplines; field goals, punting, and kickoffs. The versatility and talent of the group makes it an above average class, with surprisingly strong depth.