Tag: Roberto Aguayo

49ers’ Jake Moody is 5th kicker to be drafted in Rounds 1-3 since 2000

Here is a look at all of the kickers who were taken within the first three rounds of the NFL draft since 2000.

The San Francisco 49ers had three third-round picks in the 2023 NFL draft.

Why not use one on a kicker?

The 49ers did exactly that when they took former Michigan kicker Jake Moody No. 99 overall on Day 2.

Moody earned the 2021 Lou Groza Award and also was a consensus All-American that season. In 2022, Moody was a second-team All-American, but remained a first-team All-Big Ten the past two years.

The 6-0, 209-pound kicker — according to NFL combine measurements — punctuated his Michigan career with 355 points, a new program high. Moody also hit a 59-yard field goal last season, setting a new team record.

Here are the other kickers drafted in the first through third rounds since 2000.

The 49ers stunned fans by drafting a kicker (?!) in the 2023 NFL Draft third round

The 49ers picked a kicker in the THIRD ROUND of the NFL Draft. You can bet NFL fans had some takes.

The San Francisco 49ers pulled off one of the NFL Draft’s biggest no-no’s.

With only their second pick in the entire 2023 NFL Draft, the team picked Michigan kicker Jake Moody at No. 99.

As you can imagine, virtually nobody thinks taking a placekicker anytime earlier than, say, the fifth round is a major football crime.

Moody is the highest-selected kicker to go in the NFL Draft since Roberto Aguayo went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of Florida State in the second round of 2016’s draft.

That pick didn’t work out for the Bucs, as Aguayo only lasted a season in Tampa Bay.

Moody will have major pressure on him in the Bay Area to hit the ground running as the new starting kicker for the 49ers.

Let’s just say NFL fans had some thoughts on a kicker going this high in the draft.

Our Christian D’Andrea gave the pick a solid “D.”

Bill Belichick provides explanation for signing kicker Roberto Aguayo

This makes sense.

Bill Belichick made a peculiar move last week by signing kicker Roberto Aguayo to the New England Patriots’ practice squad.

Nick Folk is having the best season of his career with 26-of-28 made field goals (92.9%) and 26-of-29 extra-point attempts (89.7%). The Patriots kept rookie Justin Rohrwasser on the practice squad the entire season — so, signing one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history seems odd.

Why’d Belichick make this move at the end of the season with no playoff opportunity ahead? He explained while speaking with reporters on Wednesday.

“He’s a pretty impressive guy, so we wanted to work with him,” Belichick said. “So we’ll work with him here and see how it goes.”

That’s it. He’s a pretty impressive guy.

Aguayo was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round and made only 22-of-31 field goals as a rookie. He was a kicking sensation at Florida State, making 69-of-78 field goals over a three-year span.

Since that rookie season, Aguayo hasn’t kicked in one regular-season game. He spent time in preseason games with the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Chargers, while having a practice squad stint with the Carolina Panthers. His last chance with an NFL team was in September of 2018, until that changed last week.

Folk, 36, wants to continue playing going forward, but he’s going to hit free agency this offseason. The Patriots would be smart to keep him and have some consistency in any facet of the team they possibly can.

Aguayo becoming the team’s kicker next year is unlikely, but the year of 2020 proved that the unlikely can happen at any moment.

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The 3 longest field goals in Buccaneers history

Take a look at which players have kicked the longest field goals in team history.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had issues over the years finding stability at the kicker position, and the whole debacle surrounding former second-round pick Roberto Aguayo certainly didn’t help matters.

But the Bucs are hoping their 2019 fifth-round selection, Matt Gay, will pan out and become the franchise kicker they desperately need. Gay had an up and down rookie season, missing eight field goals and five extra points. His toughest game came in Week 3’s loss to the New York Giants, where he missed a potential game-winning field goal at the end. Tampa Bay, and especially Tom Brady, is hoping Gay will have a much better year two. The former Utah star has flashed his potential and big leg in practices, even nailing a 62-yarder last year.

So, in honor of Gay and his position, let’s take a look at the three longest field goals in Bucs history.

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TD Wire named this Bucs player the franchise’s biggest 2nd-round bust since 2000

Find out which player Touchdown Wire named as the worst second-round selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2000.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the 45th pick in the second round of tonight’s NFL draft, and many people think the Bucs could try and snag a running back. Last year, Tampa Bay found a promising young cornerback in Sean Murphy-Bunting in round two, and with the Bucs secondary in need of help, they could opt for a defensive player over an offensive one.

GM Jason Licht has made a few solid picks and a few duds in round two during his tenure with the Buccaneers. But perhaps his most memorable second-round selection was one he’d like to forget most: kicker Roberto Aguayo.

In Mark Lane’s look at the biggest second-round draft bust for each franchise since 2000, Aguayo came in as the Bucs’ worst selection.

via Touchdown Wire:

“The Bucs could have used their 59th overall pick on S Kevin Byard or DE Yannick Ngakoue. Instead, they used it on a kicker they cut the next preseason. Aguayo has not had a chance to improve his 71.0% career field goal percentage.”

It’s hard to argue against this selection. Using a second-round pick on a kicker — even if it was the Bucs’ second selection in round two — should never take that much of a priority. Given that Licht took kicker Matt Gay in the fifth round of last year’s draft, I think we can safely say Tampa Bay won’t be taking one tonight.

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A look at the Buccaneers’ forgettable 2016 draft class

With the 2020 NFL draft upon us, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht will be hoping it won’t be a repeat of 2016.

Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht will be conducting his seventh NFL draft this week for Tampa Bay, and with the 14th pick in round one, he may be looking to take an offensive tackle to help protect quarterback Tom Brady, the team’s big free agent signing this offseason.

Licht has made some solid draft picks during his tenure, like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Devin White to name a few, but there have been some forgettable picks, too. In fact, the 2016 draft class may be one Licht would like to forget altogether.

After the team cut cornerback Vernon Hargreaves following his Week 10 benching for lack of hustle, that left just one player on the Bucs’ roster from that 2016 draft.

With that, let’s take a look back now at that draft class.

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Bucs cutting K Roberto Aguayo was one of the most heartbreaking moments in ‘Hard Knocks’

Take a look back at one of the most heartbreaking moments during the Bucs’ appearance on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”

With Adam Schefter reporting earlier this week that it both the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers would be the teams designated to appear on HBO’s popular “Hard Knocks” — the first time two franchises have appeared at once — ESPN took a look back at some of the top moments in the show’s history.

That, of course, includes the Buccaneers’ appearance on the show back in 2017. It was a rare treat for fans and even HBO brass as the Bucs were coming off a surprise 9-7 campaign in 2016 and seemed poised to make a postseason push. Rarely does the show chronicle a team coming off a successful season. Usually, we are stuck with teams coming off an abysmal year, like the Cleveland Browns in 2018, who were fresh off a 2017 season in which they went 0-16.

While Jameis Winston certainly had his memorable moments during the Bucs’ “Hard Knocks” season, it was the cutting of kicker Roberto Aguayo that was the most heartbreaking moment.

Aguayo was a second round pick by the Bucs in the 2016 NFL draft, but struggled in his rookie season. Things didn’t go better in the 2017 preseason. Aguayo’s misses earned the ire of coach Dirk Koetter, and he was cut from the team.

Take a look at the moment below.

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Bruce Arians praises the play of rookie kicker Matt Gay

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians praised kicker Matt Gay, who has bounced back in a big way since Week 3.

It wasn’t that long ago that questions were swirling around Bucs rookie kicker Matt Gay, and whether he was another Robert Aguayo in the making.

Aguayo, who was infamously selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, lasted just one season in Tampa Bay after missing nine kicks and two extra points as a rookie.

Gay, who the team took in the fifth round of this year’s draft, had a nightmare performance back in Week 3 against the New York Giants, ultimately costing his team a victory by missing a potential game-winning field goal at the end of the game.

But, as rough an outing as that was for the rookie out of Utah, Gay has bounced back in a big way since Week 3, and his play hasn’t gone unnoticed by head coach Bruce Arians.

Take a look.

Tampa Bay has been struggling for years to find stability at the kicker position. A lot of people questioned the team’s decision to draft another kicker, especially with a fifth-round pick, but the gamble seems to have paid off for Jason Licht.

Hopefully, Gay can be the franchise kicker the Bucs believe he is.

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