Special teams are often overlooked when evaluating NFL teams but punters can matter a great deal. These are the five best players at the position in the league right now.
While special teams are still an integral part of the NFL, they are not as much so as they were 15-20 years ago. Things have changed. With teams going for fourth-down conversions more than ever before, among other deviations from the way things once were, special teams have taken a backseat — punters in particular.
Yet, punters still matter. There are few things as debilitating as trying to switch fields with a quality punt only to have it backfire with a bad effort. That’s why we’re going to look at the NFL punters who matter the most and can be X-factors for their respective teams.
There are punting stats and analytics but they can be a bit tricky as they’re so situational. Not only can where the punt is being kicked from matter but so too can bad punt coverage, which would hurt net yards per punt. Thus, we’ll be looking at consistency, distance control, accuracy, hang time and leg strength as we break down the best punters in the NFL entering the 2021 season.
Ranking the 5 best punters in the NFL: Honorable Mentions
Thomas Morstead, Free Agent
Since Mostead stepped foot onto an NFL field back in 2009, he was an elite punter. Morstead was as consistent as they came; you could put him on the field and expect great punts every week. Despite ranking eighth in yards per punt, 2017 was maybe Morestead’s best season of his career.
What made 2017 so great for was the lack of a bad game on the slate for the punter. If you do want a great game out of Morstead, his Week 6 outing against the Lions was great, despite some bad long snapping and punt coverage. He’s taken a downturn recently, which is why he’s only an honorable mention.
Johnny Hekker, Los Angeles Rams
Just like Mostead, since Johnny Hekker stepped onto an NFL field, he was one of the best punters out there. Hekker and Greg Zuerlein were arguably the best kicker-punter duo in the league when they played together but Hekker was the better of the duo. He dominated early on in his career, submitting outstanding 2013 and 2014 seasons.
Consistency was the key for Hekker throughout his early years in the NFL. He never had an outstanding game but, at the same time, he also never had a bad game. Unfortunatly, things have slowly unraveled a bit for Hekker as his consistency has slowly worn away. This past year was probably his worst of his career. At 31 years old, though, there’s hope for him rebounding.
Sam Koch, Baltimore Ravens
With Adam Vinatieri currently a free agent, Sam Koch is now the oldest punter or kicker on an active NFL roster at 38 years old (he will be 39 years old by Week 1). Koch was drafted in 2006 out of Nebraska by the Ravens and has played his entire 14-year career with Baltimore.
The main reason that Koch is only an honorable mention on this list despite a great career is mainly because of his age. It’s hard to consistently be a great punter or kicker, especially when you are reaching the later parts of your career.