2025 NFL Draft: Special Teams Rankings
K Rankings:
1
Andres Borregales
School: Miami
Ht/Wt: 5’11”, 199 lbs
Strengths:
Borregales is an accurate kicker, showing consistency by never dipping below 80%, and hitting an astonishing 94% of his kicks in 2024. His technique is clean and the trajectory of his kicks is pretty good. On most of his kicks, he gets a good rotation on the ball. Borregales has good enough leg strength for the NFL, showing the ability to comfortably hit from the mid 50’s.
Weaknesses:
Borregales has a strong leg, but with how kickers in today’s game are hitting comfortably from the high 50’s and sometimes even low 50’s, I don’t think his leg can be considered elite. He hits comfortably from the mid 50’s, but the high 50’s might put more of a strain, and could cause him to sacrifice some technique to get more power on the ball. The thing is that we don’t truly know, as he wasn’t used too often on long range kicks. He had a few from the mid 50’s, but most of his “distance” kicks were low 50’s. The relative lack of difficulty may have contributed to his high percentage, as well. Compared to others, he also doesn’t get the best hang time on his kickoffs.
Summary:
Borregales projects as a reliable kicker at the NFL level who can be consistent from below 40, and should be relatively safe up to about 55 yards. His technique, trajectory, and spin on the ball don’t show any major concerns that would lead questions about future consistency. Distance beyond 55ish is a bit of a question mark though, as he wasn’t really asked to kick too many from even the mid 50’s, and especially not from the high 50’s. He hit pretty comfortably from 55, but does he have enough to be a true “weapon” at the position and make those ones where the difficulty is up another notch. In any event, he doesn’t look like a highlight reel sort of kicker, if that term is allowed to be used for a kicker in the first place, but he should offer nice consistency with enough leg strength to still feel good about him being your guy.
| Grade: 85.9 | Weighted Round Grade: 7th* |
2
Tyler Loop
School: Arizona
Ht/Wt: 5’11”, 191 lbs
Strengths:
Loop has 5 years of college experience and actually started off as his team’s punter, so he comes with some versatility. But that isn’t what makes him an NFL prospect. Simply put, it is for his cannon of a leg. He hits from the mid 40’s and sees the ball go well over top of the goalposts. This leg strength obviously translates to kickoffs as well. Loop was challenged with more long field goal attempts in his last two years of college. His numbers in 2023 were respectable for his first season with these new challenges, and he was able to up his field goal percentage from 79.2 to 83.8. A nice bump, but even more impressive when considering that he went 6/9 from beyond 50 yards.
Weaknesses:
Ball trajectory can be inconsistent. Some of his kicks are line drivers and more vulnerable to being blocked. But my bigger concern was the rotation of the football. It is not always clean, sometimes spinning sideways. As well, he has had some curveballs result in successful field goals, and also the odd knuckleball. The numbers ended up looking good, but the way the ball looks in the air does make you a little nervous. He’ll have some technical tweaks to make. These are the kinds of things that are easy to overlook when the ball is going through the uprights, but that can change at any time. Last season, Loop missed 2 extra points which in college football, are still those chip shots near the goal line. No NFL kicker should be missing those, let alone 2.
Summary:
Loop has the leg strength to be an elite kicker in the NFL. His numbers in 2024 are very encouraging, especially considering how many attempts he had form 50+. That said, the way the ball spins is off putting. When you have curve balls and kicks that are rotating sideways still going through the uprights, sure you take the points, but those can go the other way too. A special teams coach should be able to work with him on that and get his technique tweaked to see him kick with a bitter trajectory and rotation. Assuming he can keep up his accuracy, and those extra points missed in college were just blips, he’ll be a quality NFL kicker.
| Grade: 85.1 | Weighted Round Grade: 7th* |
3
Caden Davis
School: Ole Miss
Ht/Wt: 6’1”, 208 lbs
Strengths:
Made 78.3% of kicks in his first year kicking field goals (after 3 seasons on kickoff duty), and followed it up with an improved 82.8% in 2024, showing promise. He has a strong leg, showing the ability to hit from 57 yards out. His ball trajectory is decent and I’d say the same about the spin on the ball. Davis especially shows off his strong leg on kickoffs, with his good hang time and ability to limit returns. He made some clutch kicks in his 2 seasons as a starter.
Weaknesses:
He is lacking experience, with only one year of numbers that you would say is NFL calibre. Only made 2 field goals from beyond 50. In one game against Kentucky, he had a chance for a game tying field goal, but shanked it. He also missed two chip shot college extra points this past season.
Summary:
Davis has the chance to win the starting job for a team as a rookie. His relatively small sample size makes his consistency a bit tougher to project, but he has the leg strength to make all the kicks. Technique and ball trajectory are usually fine, though not perfect. It is a toss up whether or not a team takes a chance on him in the draft, but he’ll get a shot to compete in camp.
| Grade: 84.6 | Weighted Round Grade: 7th* |
4
Ryan Fitzgerald
School: Florida State
Ht/Wt: 5’11”, 193 lbs
Strengths:
Fitzgerald came into his own in 2023, converting 90.5% of his field goals. But in 2024, he took it up a notch, adding difficulty. He only had 1 successful 50+ yarder going into the year, so the step up was impressive, going a perfect 5/5 from beyond 50, with a long of 59. He also made all 13 of his field goal attempts on the season. Obviously 13 is on the low side for workload, with almost 40% of those kicks coming from beyond 50, he earned the perfect score.
Weaknesses:
Fitzgerald can be a little inconsistent with his technique, and doesn’t always strike the ball well. There were times where relative chip shots had to be sweat out as far as distance goes, as he just didn’t strike it well. He only has one season under his belt of production from beyond 50 yards. Can he sustain it?
Summary:
Fitzgerald has the leg talent to make big kicks from distance, and his last couple of seasons have shown that his accuracy has taken a big step forward. But although he has 2 years of accuracy, he only has 1 of production from beyond 50. He’ll need to improve his mechanics and how he strikes the ball, in some instances. As well, he must prove that the previous inconsistencies are all in the past.
| Grade: 82.9 | Weighted Round Grade: UDFA* |
5
Ben Sauls
School: Pitt
Ht/Wt: 5’10”, 182 lbs
Strengths:
Sauls, a lefty, has a strong leg and the ability to hit from distance, with a long of 58. This past season he was very consistent. He converted 87.5% of his field goals, including 6/7 from beyond 50. Sauls gets good hang time on his kickoffs and can limit returns.
Weaknesses:
Sauls looks a little slow going through his motions. The whole process from snap to kick seems a little elongated, which can leave him more vulnerable to blocks. He got good distance on his kicks, but had a few line drives. His 2024 season was consistent, but after having ups and downs in the previous couple of seasons. Can he maintain it?
Summary:
Sauls has the potential to be a starter in the NFL. Leg strength is there, and if he can maintain consistent accuracy like this past season, he’ll get there. That said, with one year of high end production, he’ll have to show he can keep it up. As well there are technical aspects that need to be cleaned up. Potential to win a job, but will have to earn it.
| Grade: 82.8 | Weighted Round Grade: UDFA* |
6
Maddux Trujillo
School: Temple
Ht/Wt: 6’0”, 172 lbs
Strengths:
Trujillo is a very strong legged kicker, making an abundance of kicks from beyond 50. As well, he was able to connect on a couple from beyond 60 yards, with his long being 64. Crazy talent. When his process is on point, he has shown the ability to kick with good trajectory and spin on the ball.
Weaknesses:
Very inconsistent. After a down year in 2022 kicking 55%, he rebounded to kick 86% in 2023. After transferring in 2024, he went back down to 72% conversion rate. Simply put, he struggles with accuracy, especially at the shorter levels. As well, his technique is inconsistent. There were a couple of times where he got too much toe into his kick, which killed the distance. One was still successful, but the point remains.
Summary:
Maddux has talent to work with to make it in the NFL, but he does not look ready yet. Unless he gets stashed on the practice squad for the talent, he’ll have to show up and compete in training camp, and might have to keep doing so multiple times until he can earn a job.
| Grade: 69.4 | Weighted Round Grade: UDFA* |
P Rankings:
1
James Burnip
School: Alabama
Ht/Wt: 6’6”, 235 lbs
Strengths:
Punter who is able to get good distance on his punts. He has shown the ability to get the field flipped in instances where the offence was backed up Burnip has also shown the ability to punt with good touch, bouncing his kick in a good spot on the field, and getting the ball to sit still. His big frame will make him more helpful in special teams coverage if he ever needs to make a play.
Weaknesses:
His ability in special teams coverage is a projection, as he never really did this in college. For Burnip, there were instances of mis-hits and shanks. He’ll have to clean it up. Burnip is generally a good directional punter, but did have a handful of touchbacks.
Summary:
Burnip has the talent to be a quality punter in the NFL. He has field flipping ability and can punt with touch and direction. Shanks and mis-hits will have to be eliminated and substituted for better consistency. He should end up with a job as a rookie.
| Grade: 86.8 | Weighted Round Grade: 7th* |
2
Jeremy Crawshaw
School: Florida
Ht/Wt: 6’4”, 198 lbs
Strengths:
Crawshaw has a good, quick motion to get rid of the ball and limit the risk of a block. He generally gets good distance on his kicks, too. Crawshaw has shown the ability to kick with good placement and accuracy, downing the ball near the goalline without it ending up as a touchback. Tall frame could benefit in kick coverage.
Weaknesses:
Hang time is probably the biggest thing here. He shows good flashes, but is inconsistent. There are times where he makes return scenarios a little too favourable for the opposing team, and risks his coverage unit giving up a big one.
Summary:
Crawshaw can make it as a starter in the league. He has plus leg strength and a quick process that special teams coaches will love. In order to cement his spot, improving his hang time might be necessary.
| Grade: 82.6 | Weighted Round Grade: UDFA* |
LS Rankings:
1
Julian Ashby
School: Vanderbilt
Ht/Wt: 6’1”, 231 lbs
Strengths:
Ashby is the top LS in this year’s draft class. On field goals/extra points, he snaps the ball with good velocity, and his accuracy is usually good too. No glaring blips if you omit the odd time where the holder had to make a slight adjustment. Velocity on punt snaps is solid for the NFL, and again, accuracy is no problem. Ashby is a good athlete for punt coverage. Saw him on multiple occasions be the first one to get down to the other side of the field.
Weaknesses:
As far as his snapping goes, there aren’t any glaring issues. That is not to say he is perfect. His punt snap velocity is just solid but not elite. He does have the odd blip once in a while where a snap might be a tiny bit low or something, but there weren’t any real issues in my exposures, nor have I heard anything else about any. The main issue with his overall game is his seize. Should still be fine for punt coverage, but it is fair to question in regards to the field goal unit. He’ll be dealing with heavy interior linemen as a blocker, so he’s got to be able to handle it.
Summary:
Ashby’s relatively small frame is the only true question mark about his game. He snaps well, for the most part, and has great athleticism to make plays in punt coverage. His size makes you wonder about the field goal protection unit, but he can still add some mass to his frame, which would probably be beneficial. Ashby will have a solid chance to win a job at the next level.
| Grade: 81.6 | Weighted Round Grade: UDFA* |
2
William Wagner
School: Michigan
Ht/Wt: 6’1”, 244 lbs
Strengths:
Wagner gets good enough snap velocity on his field goal and extra point snaps. Accuracy is decent here as well. He has shown to have decently quick feet to set in protection after snapping to the punter.
Weaknesses:
Ball velocity on punts doesn’t look like anything special. There were also instances of low and inaccurate snaps. Size is good enough but definitely not in the higher tier for the position. Looked a bit on the slow side when running down the field in punt coverage.
Summary:
Wagner is generally solid, but has his moments of blips where the accuracy isn’t quite there. His ball velocity on punts is also not the best. At the next level, Wagner will get looks in training camp and will have to earn his roster spot.
| Grade: 75.6 | Weighted Round Grade: UDFA* |
2025 Special Teams Rankings:
K:
- Andres Borregales (85.9, Rd 7)*
- Tyler Loop (85.1, Rd 7)*
- Caden Davis (84.6, Rd 7)*
- Ryan Fitzgerald (82.9, UDFA)*
- Ben Sauls (82.8, UDFA)*
- Maddux Trujillo (69.4, UDFA)*
Notable Not Graded:
- Gino Garcia
P:
- James Burnip (86.8, Rd 7)*
- Jeremy Crawshaw (82.6, UDFA)*
Notables Not Graded:
- Alex Mastromanno
- Brendan Hall
LS:
- Julian Ashby (81.6, UDFA)*
- William Wagner (75.6, UDFA)*
Notables Not Graded:
- Austin Brinkman
- Austin Riggs
See Also: DE Rankings
Featured Image Via: Maize & Blue Nation (CC)