For any other team, this would’ve been shocking.
That Bill Belichick and the Patriots did this seems unsurprising.
The Patriots took both a kicker and a punter during the 2023 NFL Draft, becoming the first team to do so since the Raiders in 2000, when they selected kicker Sebastian Janikowski in the first round (No. 17 overall) and punter Shane Lechler in the fifth round.
This year, New England traded with the Jets to move up to No. 112 in the fourth round, where they selected Maryland kicker Chad Ryland, and at No. 192 in the sixth round, they selected Michigan State punter Bryce Baringer.
Veteran Nick Folk made 32 of 37 field-goal attempts for the Patriots last season, along with 32 of 35 extra-point attempts, but he’s 38 years old and had just three touchbacks on kickoffs in 2022.
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Punter Jake Bailey had a net average of 35.3 yards in nine games, and Michael Palardy had a net average of 36.4 yards in eight games.
Ryland was not the first kicker taken in the 2023 NFL Draft, as the 49ers picked Michigan’s Jake Moody in the third round at No. 99 overall.
The Packers later took Auburn kicker Anders Carlson in the sixth round at No. 207 overall, and the Bengals chose Michigan punter Brad Robbins 10 picks later.
Wingate punter Ethan Evans was the final specialist taken this year, with the Rams picking him in the seventh round at No. 223 overall.
