Evan McPherson could be highest drafted kicker since 2016

Florida’s Evan McPherson could be the highest-drafted kicker since 2016.

So much attention for the Florida Gators as it pertains to the 2021 NFL Draft has gone to quarterback Kyle Trask and tight end Kyle Pitts, and rightfully so, but kicker Evan McPherson could very likely be one of the highest-drafted Gators in 2021.

As a matter of fact, McPherson has a decent shot at being the highest-drafted kicker since Roberto Aguayo (Florida State) in 2016 who went in the second round (59th overall) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Players like Aguayo, who was one of the most accurate kickers in college football history before he missed nine field goals and two extra points in 2016 with the Bucs, have potentially scared the NFL off from really good prospects at the kicker position in the last four years.

Aguayo’s case is certainly not a common one, and kickers have gone higher than him in the past, if you can believe it.

In 2005, the Cincinnati Bengals used the 47th overall selection on Ohio State kicker Mike Nugent, who has completed 81 percent of his career kicks to-date.

In 2000, the Oakland Raiders made Sebastian Janikowski out of Florida State a first-round draft choice. Janikowski, the 17th overall pick in 2000, hit 80.4 percent of his career kicks and at least to the Raiders’ credit, Janikowski did break the NFL’s all-time record for 50-yard field goals. He finished with 58 total (Matt Prater is nipping at his heels with 53).

The thing about drafting kickers is, it’s more often than not that you can find the best guys at that position after the NFL Draft is over and you don’t really have to commit crucial draft capital to those guys.

McPherson is probably one of the rare exceptions.

In his sophomore season with Florida, he hit on 7-of-8 field goal attempts from 40-plus yards away, and so far in 2020, he’s nailed kicks of 53- and 55-yards out.

Since coming to the Florida program, he’s missed only four of his 43 attempts so far as a collegiate player.

Kicking from 53- and 55-yards out, it looked like McPherson probably would have been good from at least 60-plus.

Just like a great punter can flip field position in a game, a great kicker like McPherson can take a stalled drive and put points on the board from anywhere at or around the 50-yard line.

This guy is such a valuable weapon offensively, and because of that, he could wind up being the highest-drafted kicker not just in four years, but possibly since Mike Nugent in 2005.