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Per USA Today: Packers traded up to pick PK (Trey Smack) Saints coveted in NFL draft
Posted on 4/30/26 at 12:13 pm
Posted on 4/30/26 at 12:13 pm
quote:
It sounds like the New Orleans Saints almost drafted a kicker in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Green Bay Packers traded up to the final pick of Round 6 to select Florida Gators kicker Trey Smack because, Packers beat writer Gery Woelfel reports, they were worried he wouldn't make it to their pick in Round 7 (No. 236). Woelfel listed the Saints (picking at No. 219) as one of three teams in on Smack, along with the New York Jets (No. 228) and Las Vegas Raiders (No. 229). Ironically, the Saints didn't have a seventh rounder until they traded down with the Raiders while acquiring edge rusher Tyree Wilson.
Why was he so coveted? Smack made all but one of 101 extra point attempts in his four-year career with the Gators, going 53 of 64 on field goals (82.8%). He was 10-of-13 from 50-plus yards, and his career-long was 56 yards. Those are good numbers for a college kicker. Instead, the Saints signed former Texas Longhorns kicker Mason Shipley.
The Saints haven't drafted a kicker since 2008, when they took Taylor Mehlhaff from Wisconsin; he appeared in just three games before being waived. Before that, their only kicker draft picks couldn't have gone more differently. Russell Erxleben is still seen as one of the biggest draft busts in team history, while Morten Andersen became a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Anyway. The Saints having interest in drafting Smack and signing Shipley goes to show how high a priority it was to bring in competition for Charlie Smyth. The kicker from Northern Ireland has been a great story to follow as he finds his bearings in the NFL, but iron sharpens iron, and it's a good move to bring in players to push him. Hopefully he and the player the Saints drafted in the seventh round, Iowa cornerback TJ Hall, play so well we never have to think about what may have been if Smack made it their pick.
usa today
5
Posted on 4/30/26 at 12:26 pm to L.A.
quote:I had forgotten all about this guy. And iirc Morstead has been our only drafted punter since Loomis took over.
Taylor Mehlhaff
This post was edited on 4/30/26 at 12:29 pm
Posted on 4/30/26 at 12:31 pm to L.A.
Interesting. Smack could be really good, but I think Hall has more potential to make us better. Of course he could be cut and not even make the PS.
But kickers seem so hard to predict. There are so many good college kickers that don’t translate to the NFL for whatever reason. Even if Smack works out and sticks with the Packers, chances are the difference between him and whoever winds up winning our PK job won’t be as great of value as Hall could potentially have if he works out. The Packers jumped us, so we didn’t have a choice, but I prefer the gamble of Hall to Smack just because it has the potential to make us better, fully understanding that he may not be around come September and Smack may wind up being Green Bay’s kicker for the next decade.
I’ll also note that a really good kicker is more important for an outdoors, cold weather team than it is for a dome team that plays most of their games either indoors or in southern stadiums with little wind. But we’re gonna be scoring so many touchdowns that all we really need is a guy who can consistently make extra points.
But kickers seem so hard to predict. There are so many good college kickers that don’t translate to the NFL for whatever reason. Even if Smack works out and sticks with the Packers, chances are the difference between him and whoever winds up winning our PK job won’t be as great of value as Hall could potentially have if he works out. The Packers jumped us, so we didn’t have a choice, but I prefer the gamble of Hall to Smack just because it has the potential to make us better, fully understanding that he may not be around come September and Smack may wind up being Green Bay’s kicker for the next decade.
I’ll also note that a really good kicker is more important for an outdoors, cold weather team than it is for a dome team that plays most of their games either indoors or in southern stadiums with little wind. But we’re gonna be scoring so many touchdowns that all we really need is a guy who can consistently make extra points.
Posted on 4/30/26 at 12:33 pm to Hot Carl
I'll just say remember that can't miss kicker TB took in the 2nd?...
Posted on 4/30/26 at 1:15 pm to L.A.
Keep an eye on Dominic Zvada.. UDFA from Michigan that the Giants picked up.. This kid kicks 70 yard FG's...
Posted on 4/30/26 at 1:19 pm to bonethug0180
quote:
I'll just say remember that can't miss kicker TB took in the 2nd?...
He certainly comes to mind. Cade York was probably the best kicker in LSU history that the Bengals took in the 5th, I believe. He was terrible for them and has bounced around. You would think that position would translate from college to the NFL as easily as any. Especially for guys who played in big games and had pressure kicks in front of crowds nearing 100k.
Is it the slightly more narrow goalposts? The farther XPs? The bigger linemen that make them have to get a tad extra early lift on their kicks? The mental pressure of knowing there’s only 32 of those gigs and every kick comes not only with its effect on each game, but their very unstable livelihoods?
I’m sure it’s a combination of things. Maybe someone who knows more about kicking could give us a better idea of what the prevailing theory is. Maybe it’s just as simple as there are a lot of guys with the prerequisite physical traits to kick in the NFL, and they are simply weeded out by mental toughness/confidence. And that mental toughness/confidence is hard to project from college because the “real life”stakes are so much higher in the NFL.
Posted on 4/30/26 at 1:29 pm to Hot Carl
All I know is we better show up to training camp with about 4 Kickers and 4 Punters to compete. Last year was abysmal.
Posted on 4/30/26 at 1:33 pm to bonethug0180
Unfortunately we are eternally prohibited from laughing at another team for drafting a K
Posted on 4/30/26 at 1:43 pm to Obi Wan Ryobi
Correct, but we can laugh with them for how stupid we both are.
Posted on 4/30/26 at 2:42 pm to Hot Carl
The ST coach that was behind changing the kickoff rules and getting rid of Lutz for rugby style kickers went into how the different balls plays a major factor between college and pro kickers. Weight & size of the ball are both major factors.
Posted on 4/30/26 at 2:43 pm to L.A.
At this point they're just talking smack
Posted on 4/30/26 at 3:59 pm to Weekend Warrior79
quote:
The ST coach that was behind changing the kickoff rules and getting rid of Lutz for rugby style kickers went into how the different balls plays a major factor between college and pro kickers. Weight & size of the ball are both major factors.
Interesting. Never considered that, but certainly makes sense.
Posted on 4/30/26 at 4:08 pm to DamageInc
quote:
All I know is we better show up to training camp with about 4 Kickers and 4 Punters to compete. Last year was abysmal.
I think we are set at punter now after acquiring Michael Wright.
Posted on 4/30/26 at 9:00 pm to Hot Carl
quote:
Cade York was probably the best kicker in LSU history
LOL. What?? I swear I think some people only know about LSU football since 2019.
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