Punters Matter Too: Ranking the NFL’s 5 best at the position

2. Jack Fox, Detroit Lions

Among all the players on the list, Jack Fox is the youngest punter at only 24 years old. Last season was Fox’s first year getting action in the NFL as he was initially signed by the Chiefs following the 2019 draft before being cut in November. Detroit brought Fox onto their practice squad in December but he wouldn’t make his NFL debut until the 2020 season.

During Fox’s first year in the NFL, he was arguably the best punter in the league. When it was all wrapped up, he made it to the Pro Bowl and was named to the second team All-Pro, only being beaten out by Jake Bailey of the Patriots to the first team. What made Fox so great as a debutant was his mix of great distance control and ability on the long ball.

Fox had great distance control in college, so it wasn’t that shocking to see Fox finish eighth in punts inside the 20. But what was a pleasant surprise was Fox’s hang time and leg strength. If you want to see his leg strength on display, turn on the Green Bay game. He kicked the leather off the ball against the Packers and even used a nose drop during that game.

You could make the argument against putting Fox this high since he’s only played one season. However, after such a dominant season first seaso, I think he has earned this spot and should continue to be a top-five punter year in and year out.