Family connections have been heavily discussed in this year’s draft. Randy Moss’ son Thaddeus has been climbing up draft boards in recent weeks. Antoine Winfield Jr., son of the Pro-Bowl cornerback, has found his way into the mid rounds in most mock drafts. Now, another family tie is being discussed as a potential addition for the Patriots.
Chase Vinatieri, nephew of former Patriots and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, may be the next kicker for New England. The younger Vinatieri finished his college career at San Diego State with 47 of his 70 field goal attempts (67.1%) and 221 of his 234 extra point attempts (94.4%).
Earlier this offseason, the Patriots released Stephen Gostkowski after 14 seasons in New England following a disappointing year that ended prematurely with the kicker on season-ending injured reserve. So, the need for a new kicker is dire.
Vinatieri is currently the fifth-ranked kicker in this draft, according to ESPN’s Todd McShay. He falls behind Georgia’s Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia Southern’s Tyler Bass, and UCLA’s J.J. Molson. With so few kickers being drafted, the Patriots may be able to pick up Vinatieri as an undrafted free agent and use their late-round picks on other positions.
New England also may have more information on Vinatieri due to his work with Mike McCabe, a kicking coach in Birmingham, Alabama. McCabe spent time working with Ryan Allen before the Patriots signed Allen as an undrafted free agent in 2013.
There are many directions the Patriots can go to find their next kicker, but it would be really cool to see another Vinatieri making important kicks in Foxboro.
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