Broadway Joe
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The Jets had Lac Edwards, a seventh-round choice in 2016, as their punter the past four seasons. But after a 45.9 yards average, which ranked 15th in the NFL, and a 41.6 net, which ranked 12th, the Jets decided not to re-sign him.
They have Ian Berryman on their roster, but after drafting Texas A&M’s Braden Mann in the sixth round, the Jets likely have a rookie punting this season.
Mann became the first punter off the board, drafted 191st overall. He also kicks off and had seven tackles last season. (He played linebacker in high school.)
In 2018, Mann earned the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s best punter and first-team All-America honors. His 51 yards per punt in 2018 is the NCAA record.
“Braden is one of the best punters I have ever seen but an even better person and he is team oriented,” Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “He saw the big picture, was a tremendous leader and has a great work ethic. He truly affected the outcome of games. His ability to flip the field and to be able to kill the ball inside the 20 is outstanding. I think he will be a great pro.”
The Jets’ selection of Mann came six picks before the Dolphins took LSU long snapper Blake Ferguson. Ferguson’s brother, Reid, is the Bills’ long snapper.
Two kickers have gone, with Marshall’s Justin Rohrwasser to the Patriots in the fifth round and Georgia Southern’s Tyler Bass to the Bills in the sixth round.
That means the four specialists off the board went to AFC East teams.