It’s rare that a kicker is good enough to declare for the draft after his junior year. That’s exactly what [autotag]Cade York[/autotag] did, and it appears to have paid off.
On Saturday, the Cleveland Browns selected York in the fourth round. At pick No. 124, it’s the highest a kicker has been drafted since 2016. York made five field goals from 50 yards or more in 2021, which was tied for the FBS lead. In 2020, he led the FBS in 50-yard field goals with six. Over the last two seasons, York did not miss an extra point.
York played a critical role in LSU’s 2019 title run, which included a big game against Texas in York’s first real test as LSU’s kicker.
He is the first LSU kicker to ever get drafted and has a good case to make for being the best kicker in program history. The only LSU kicker to score more was [autotag]Colt David[/autotag], and he did it in four years compared to York’s three.
Few kickers have been as consistent as York in recent memory, especially from long range. It takes a lot for a team to use a fourth-round pick on a kicker, and if it doesn’t work out, the Browns will be laughed at. Everything this far points to York being the real deal and he could quickly ascend to being one of the best kickers in the NFL.
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