Ravens drafts a kicker for the first in history leading into this years NFL draft.
The Baltimore Ravens have invested countless hours into scouting kickers leading into this year’s NFL draft.
Ravens senior special teams coach Randy Brown has bounced around the country looking at college kickers amid the uncertainty surrounding Justin Tucker. This offseason, Tucker has been accused of sexual misconduct by 16 massage therapists from eight Baltimore spas and wellness centers, according to the Baltimore Banner.
The NFL is investigating the incidents, which reportedly occurred during sessions from 2012 to 2016. Tucker has publicly disputed the allegations twice, issuing a statement on social media in January in which he called the accusations “unequivocally false.”
Whether the Ravens use one of their 11 draft picks on a kicker is the most delicate topic surrounding the AFC North champions.
It is worth [using a draft pick on a kicker] if you have the right kicker,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said Tuesday. “It just depends on the board, it depends on the player, it depends on who’s there and it depends on how your coaches see him. And also it should be said that some of the greatest kickers of all time weren’t drafted, right? So there’s no blueprint for finding a kicker.”
If Baltimore drafts a kicker, it would be a historic move. The Ravens are the only franchise that hasn’t drafted a kicker in the common draft era (since 1967).
In the 30 drafts since moving from Cleveland in 1996, the Ravens have drafted 252 players, which includes two punters and one long-snapper. Baltimore hasn’t needed to use a pick on one because it has primarily had three kickers in its existence: Matt Stover (1996 to 2008), who relocated with the team from Cleveland; Billy Cundiff (2009 to 2011), who was signed as a free agent; and Tucker (2012 to now), who went undrafted in 2012.
Baltimore could take a kicker with one of its eight Day 3 selections, and it goes beyond the allegations against Tucker. Even though Tucker is currently the most accurate kicker in NFL history, he’s 35 and is coming off the worst season of his career. Tucker missed 10 kicks — eight field goals and two extra points — in the 2024 season.
“Obviously, there are a lot of layers to that whole conversation, but it’s something we would have to do no matter what,” coach John Harbaugh said. “At this point in time, you have to look. You always have to do your due diligence, so we will be prepared to do that on draft day if we feel like we need to and if the right guy is there.”
On Monday, the Ravens conducted a private workout with Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, who was 13-of-13 last season, including five from 50 yards or longer. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said he expects Fitzgerald to be the first kicker taken in this year’s draft.
Kiper described this year’s draft class for kickers as “not too bad.” Kiper’s top-ranked kicker is Miami’s Andres Borregales, and Kiper has said that Borregales has a legitimate NFL leg.
When asked if he expects to draft a kicker this year, DeCosta said he doesn’t want to pigeonhole himself.
