A lot of the talk about this Cincinnati Bengals team as it prepares to take on the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI centers around quarterback Joe Burrow, and for good reason.
He’s stepped his game up to another level in Year 2 despite coming off an ACL tear, orchestrating one of the more impressive turnarounds in recent years for a team that picked first overall just two years ago.
But there’s an argument to be made that the team’s MVP, at least in the postseason, has been kicker Evan McPherson. The former Florida star was the most accurate kicker in SEC history in college, and he was a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the only placekicker to be selected.
He hit game-winning kicks in both the divisional and conference championship rounds, and Cincinnati has his leg to thank as much as anything for being in this position. With McPherson clearly being one of the Bengals’ top players, ESPN took a look back at where he stood as a recruit when he was the nation’s No. 2 overall kicker.
K Evan McPherson
Class of 2018 rating: Three stars (No. 2 K)
Florida2021 stats: Made 28 of 33 FG attempts (84.8%) including a 58-yard and 46 of 48 XPA
High School scouting report: “McPherson is capable of making big kicks and has shown impressive consistency over the last year in many different events. He has the talent and confidence to play early in college.” (via Kohl’s Kicking)
Kickers don’t get much love on the recruiting trail, but McPherson (Fort Payne, Ala.) was a coveted talent in the 2018 class. The Under Armour All-American collected eight scholarship offers, rare for a specialist, including Florida, Iowa State, Kentucky, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Rutgers and Army. After an initial commitment to Mississippi State, McPherson signed with the Gators. His production in Gainesville prompted the Bengals to use a fifth-round selection on him in the 2021 draft. Cincinnati received immediate return on its investment, as McPherson had a productive rookie campaign. Currently, he is having a record-setting playoff run with 12 made field goals on 12 attempts, including three from 50-plus yards, and game-winners against the Titans and Chiefs.
McPherson certainly was able to start early, taking over the kicking job in Gainesville the moment he set foot on campus in 2018. He’s been clutch throughout his entire career and is trustworthy from even 50+ yards.
He was regarded as one of the top kickers in his recruiting class coming out of high school, and that prediction has clearly panned out as McPherson is poised to be one of the best specialists in the league in the coming years.
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