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Tom Hackett, P, Utah: 2016 NFL Draft Scouting Report

By Kyle Sumner McKinnon

Nov 22, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes punter Tom Hackett (33) punts the ball during the second half against the Arizona Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Arizona won 42-10. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes punter Tom Hackett (33) punts the ball during the second half against the Arizona Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Arizona won 42-10. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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The self-proclaimed “fat” punter from Australia, Tom Hackett is clearly a special talent. Seeing as he is the best at his position in the draft, is the Aussie worth using a pick on?

More and more punters from overseas are finding homes in the NFL, including those from Australia. Utah’s Tom Hackett is about to join that unique group after enjoying a historic collegiate career.

Hackett won the Ray Guy Award back-to-back years (2014, 2015), solidifying his spot as the top punter in the nation heading into the draft.

Though it’s a rarity to see punters get drafted, Hackett is obviously an exception. Let’s take a look at the Aussie’s draft stock.

Vitals

Ht: 5-10

Wt: 198 pounds

Class: Senior

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Prospect Video

Strengths

Hackett has as powerful a leg as they come and put it to use on a consistent basis. He averaged 48.0 net yards during his senior season and 45.2 over the course of his career. Hackett even owns an incredible school record of 65 punts of 50+ yards and four punts of 70+ yards. His accuracy may be what sets him apart from those in the draft, mastering the coffin-corner punt in college.

Over 43% of Hackett’s career punts came inside the 20-yard line, pinning 48 punts inside the 10-yard line and another 18 inside the 5-yard line. Though he can notably punt out of the “rugby style” alignment, Hackett can just as comfortably execute from the traditional formation. He’s never had a punt blocked and is an experienced field goal and PAT holder.

Weaknesses

Despite successfully converting all three of his career rushing attempts for first downs on fake punt attempts, Hackett doesn’t possess ideal athleticism for the position. At 5-foot-10, 198 pounds, he needs to work on himself a bit physically to fully meet pro standards. The former Ute is quirky in nature and while that won’t really discourage teams from selecting him, the lack of an invite to the Senior Bowl is rather curious.

Verdict

With few negatives to say about him, a spot in the middle rounds of the draft await Hackett. He’s a deadly accurate and powerful punter that consistently proved why he was the best at what he does in the country.

There’s no way a quirky personality keeps Hackett from being selected, something that should take place between rounds four and six.

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