Tag: Matt Araiza

Rookie Matt Araiza booms 82-yard punt for Bills

Matt Araiza’s first NFL punt went a mere 82 yards

Matt Araiza gained national attention at San Diego State for his incredible punting prowess.

“The Punt God” lasted until the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft before the Buffalo Bills selected him.

He is going to become a folk hero with the Bills Mafia if his first boot in the preseason is any indication.

Araiza took the snap against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday and unloaded an 82-yard punt. It bounced deep in Colts territory and into the end zone for a touchback.

That would be a net of 62 yards. Imagine how much of a weapon Araiza will be if can somehow combine this kind of distance with direction to pin foes deep.

Araiza averaged 51 yards per punt at San Diego State over two seasons.

If you are wondering how he lasted so long before being chosen by Buffalo, there were concerns about outkicking the coverage.

Araiza allowed 10.5 yards per return. He also had 14 touchbacks.

WATCH: Bills rookie Matt Araiza crushes 82-yard punt in preseason debut

Watch Buffalo Bills rookie punter Matt Araiza show off his incredible power with an 82-yard punt in his first NFL game

Most fans expected San Diego State’s Matt Araiza to be the first punter selected in the 2022 NFL draft, but multiple prospects at his position came off the board before he heard his name called in the sixth round.

Araiza wasted little time proving that he probably should have been selected earlier, showing off his ridiculous power in his NFL preseason debut Saturday evening against the Indianapolis Colts.

Just before halftime, Araiza crushed an 82-yard punt, connecting with the ball from his own 8-yard-line, and sending it bouncing into the opposite end zone.

Not bad, rookie.

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Hey, look: Bills punter Matt Araiza can hold after all

Hey, look: #Bills punter Matt Araiza can hold after all:

Punter Matt Araiza has had a spotlight on him from almost the moment he was selected by the Buffalo Bills at the 2022 NFL draft.

But it has had nothing to do with his ability to boot the ball. Rather, the sixth-round rookie was both a punter and kicker in college. Because of that, he’s never been a holder which is what he would have to do in Buffalo.

For early portions of the offseason, Araiza was not doing much of that. At least, not in front of onlookers.

Good news: Now he is.

From a training camp practice at St. John Fisher University, Araiza was spotted holding for kicker Tyler Bass. He did so both on the side of the practice session and during team drills.

Looks like the rookie is coming along.

Check out video of Araiza getting the holding job done via the Overreaction Buffalo Podcast below:

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Kids steal helmet of Bills punter Matt Araiza at training camp (video)

Good guy Matt:

The jury is out on whether or not rookie punter Matt Araiza will be the winner of the Bills’ training camp punter battle against Matt Haack.

But we can confirm he’s a nice guy, at least.

During a camp practice at St. John Fisher University, Araiza evidently set his helmet down to go work on some things.

It disappeared.

But it was all in good fun as some young Bills fans put it on and ran off with it. It was a cute scene and Araiza recognized it. Once he found it, he let them run around with it anyway.

Check it out via WROC-TV below:

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New Bills players who can have immediate impacts in 2022

New #Bills players who can have immediate impacts in 2022:

Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane has been active throughout the offseason, adding fresh talent and new faces to help elevate the team’s roster.

The Bills have become a breakout squad in the NFL thanks to Beane’s roster building and the player development of the coaching staff.

Still, hurdles remain between Buffalo and a Super Bowl championship. And adding players who figure to contribute towards overcoming the obstacles that remain is just what Beane has been doing this offseason.

The GM has been busy in free agency adding veteran pieces like Von Miller and prospective first-year contributors through the NFL Draft like Kaiir Elam.

The additions have been met with fairly good reception by fans and the media, with one ESPN analyst even going so far as to say that the Bills 2022 NFL draft class will make the biggest impact.

With that here is a look at which new players could have an immediate impact for Buffalo in 2022…

11 players to watch at Buffalo Bills’ minicamp

11 players to watch at #Bills’ minicamp from rookies to vets:

The Buffalo Bills are getting after it as minicamp starts on Tuesday. To this point, spring practices were voluntary, but now we’re at the stage of a few mandatory workouts.

Since all players are supposed to be in the building and on the field working out, here are 11 players to watch for during the Bills’ minicamp:

Bills ST coordinator Matthew Smiley gives early takes on punter battle

#Bills ST coordinator Matthew Smiley gives early takes on punter battle:

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The Buffalo Bills have a punter battle on their hands.

At the 2022 NFL draft, Buffalo selected Matt Araiza in the sixth round. But the Bills already had a punter on their roster in Matt Haack.

Haack struggled during his first season in Buffalo in 2021. He took a pay cut in order to stick around another year.

And even though the Bills did use a pick on Araiza, nothing will be guaranteed. We’ve got a long ways to go, training camp hasn’t even started yet, but the battle has begun.

From the team’s OTAs (organized team activities), Buffalo special team coordinator Matt Smiley provided an update on the competition. He had good things to say about both players at this point.

On the rookie, Smiley said he’s got natural talent and it’s easy to see. Smiley then added he believes Haack was better than most give him credit for last year.

Check out Smiley’s thoughts on Araiza and Haack via Spectrum News below:

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B/R sets bar high for Bills punter Matt Arazia

B/R sets bar high for #Bills punter Matt Arazia:

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If you’re asking Bleacher Report about the Buffalo Bills and their punter situation, their answer is clear: Matt Araiza is the man for the job.

The “Punt God” was selected by Buffalo at the 2022 NFL draft in the sixth round. Arazia won’t have a job handed to him with the Bills as he’ll enter a training camp battle with incumbent Matt Haack.

But Araiza is clearly the one B/R thinks will win that position because he was named on one of the outlet’s recent lists. B/R named one “surprise rookie gem” for each NFL team and Araiza was the choice.

Here’s the breakdown:

How could we not include the Punt God? The Buffalo Bills snatched up Matt Araiza with the first pick in the sixth round. Shockingly, the San Diego State product wasn’t the first punter taken despite his ability to boom kicks over 80 yards.

He likely won’t often see the field as a rookie. After all, Buffalo tied for the sixth-fewest punts in the league last year with 53. Nevertheless, the Bills upgraded from Matt Haack to Araiza.

His rare ability to flip the field may lack polish of punters who are masters of pinning offenses inside their 10-yard line, but the dynamic he brings is so much more valuable. Araiza can force opposing offenses to travel an extra 10 or more yards on every punt from within their 30-yard line. No other team has that luxury.

What can make him a surprise is the actual impact that occasional punts can bring. Unsurprisingly, the farther an offense has to travel to score, the less likely they are to do so. Even a 5 percent improvement in Buffalo’s scoring defense last year may have been the difference between advancing to the Super Bowl and losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round.

Araiza comes to Buffalo will the kicking skills, that’s known. But the one thing he must improve has nothing to do with that.

In college, Araiza was a punter and place kicker. Because of that, he didn’t hold. If Araiza can master that this offseason, he has a good chance to take the job from Haack.

In his own right, Haack does have the NFL experience on Araiza. However, he struggled in his first season in Buffalo in 2021. So much so, the Bills restructured his deal which included a pay cut this spring.

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One reason to be excited about each of the Bills’ 2022 NFL draft picks

One reason to be excited about each of the #Bills’ 2022 NFL draft picks:

With the 2022 NFL Draft, the Bills were able to shore up multiple position areas of need while adding depth.

They’ve now set their sights on preparing for the upcoming season, a timeframe during which coaches and fans alike grow in their anticipation for what newly drafted players might add to the team.

As there are some picks who could contribute right away, here are reasons to be excited about each of the Bills’ eight draft picks:

2022 NFL draft: One player comparison for every Bills pick

2022 NFL draft: One player comparison for every #Bills pick:

Each spring the NFL draft experts break down the film and give us their analysis of hundreds of college football players ahead of the event.

In doing so, often times we see comparisons made to those already in the league. In 2022 we saw many of those, including with the eight players that ended up in Buffalo when the draft was all said and done.

With that, here is a player comparison for all eight Bills draft picks in 2022: