Extremely rare prospect threw a fun wrinkle into the 2026 NFL Draft

You don't really see a lot of kicker or punter prospects get hype leading up to any individual NFL Draft, but very few prospects put on the type of show we saw from UTSA kicker Jaffer Murphy at his pre-draft pro day.

Murphy made headlines across the NFL landscape after he not only nailed 12-of-13 kicks during his pro day workout, but he made one (rather easily) from 70 yards out. But wait, there's more.

Not only did Murphy show off an incredibly strong leg, but he also blew NFL teams away by running the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds. A kicker with elite speed? It's the create-a-player special teams coordinators everywhere have only ever dreamed of.

Jaffer Murphy adds a fun wrinkle to the 2026 NFL Draft on special teams

Why would a kicker run the 40-yard dash at a pro day? Well, if you can run one in 4.5 seconds, wouldn't you? It gives Murphy an opportunity to make an impression and get in front of more teams, in all likelihood.

At UTSA, Murphy was a converted soccer player who spent just one year with the football team, so his skills are raw, but that might be all the more reason to roll the dice and throw a late-round pick at him in this class.

If you have a kicker who can hit from 70 yards out in the NFL, that gives you unprecedented flexibility in your play-call packages near midfield. Either that, or you could see special teams coordinators bringing back the fake field goal again, especially in 4th-and-short situations. At the very least, teams will have to be on the alert for it.

There is ample opportunity for creativity in a situation like this, a situation that necessitates creativity. A kicker with this kind of athleticism is bordering on unheard of, but the primary job is still to obviously kick off.

Prior to his arrival at UTSA, Murphy kicked at Lake Erie, and made 13 of his 21 kicks there, including one from 60 yards out. What you have here is a true weapon on special teams, someone whose skill set needs refining, but is worth the investment.

It would be unheard of, but it's possible that we could see a kicker not only get drafted, but get drafted despite not having any field goal attempts in his lone year at a major school.

And this is the type of story that makes the NFL Draft as fun as it is.