Joshua Karty 2024 NFL Draft Overview
Height: Six-foot-two
Weight: 207 pounds
Position: Kicker
School: Stanford
2024 NFL Draft: Joshua Karty Scouting Report
Kickers, while often disrespected, are a crucial element in the game of football. Of the 13 playoff games in the 2023-24 season, five were decided by three or fewer points. In 2022-23, it was four out of 13, and in 2021-22, it was six. Each of the last three Super Bowls was decided by exactly three points. In the 2020 recruiting cycle, Joshua Karty was the top-ranked kicker in the nation and elected to attend Stanford. In his true freshman season, he only appeared in one game to kickoff.
He took over full-time kicking duties as a sophomore. On the year, Karty was a perfect 27-of-27 on extra points and converted on 10-of-15 field goals. He did struggle with distance as all five misses were 40+ with four of the five at 50+. When it came to kickoffs, Karty kicked off 44 times and 33 resulted in touchbacks.
He took a step forward in 2022 as the full-time field goal kicker and kickoff specialist. This time, he was a perfect 18-of-18 on field goals and converted 24-of-25 extra points. With his 61-yard field goal against Cal, Karty set a new personal and program record. It was also the longest field goal at the FBS level on the year.
As a senior, Karty set a program record with the most field goals made in a single season. He was 23-of-27 and was perfect when attempting extra points, converting all 21. All in all, he owns the program record for field goal percentage (85% or 51/60). In his career, Karty was 23/24 on field goals shorter than 40, 20/21 on field goals between 40 and 50 yards, and 8/15 on field goals greater than 50.
At his Pro Day, he was a perfect three-for-three on field goal attempts over 60 yards.
In his career, he was a two-time First-Team All-PAC-12 selection and two-time First-Team All-American.
Strengths
- Has great kick strength, can make incredibly long field goals
- Has plenty of experience on kickoffs, 76.7% touchback rate
- Good lift on field goals
- Showed mental toughness, didn’t allow misses to compound
- Nearly automatic from within 50
Weaknesses
- Not as effective on the left hash
- Kicks have a natural bend to them (right-to-left)
- Was not tested in clutch situations
- Was not tested in bad weather
NFL Player Comparison: Jake Moody
Projection: Sixth Round (first Kicker taken)
Bottom Line on Joshua Karty
Kickers in the NFL remain one of the most important positions in the game. The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Evan McPherson and he has been a crucial element of the team’s success over the last two years. The Baltimore Ravens have perhaps one of if not the best kicker the NFL has ever seen. They owe a lot to Justin Tucker’s leg.
Karty looks to be as good as any when it comes to kicking. He’s virtually automatic from inside 50 and has the leg to push through anything further. NFL teams will have to do their due diligence on him as he was not tested much at Stanford. The Cardinal were not overly competitive so he did not have the opportunity to see if he could be clutch.
Either way, Karty and his strong leg will be worth a Day 3 three pick for any NFL team looking to improve their special teams.
Main Image: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
