Ryan Rehkow 2024 NFL Draft Overview
Height: Six-foot-four
Weight: 235 pounds
Position: Punter
School: BYU
2024 NFL Draft: Ryan Rehkow Scouting Report
Punters are people, too and Ryan Rehko has himself a cannon of a leg. Special teams cannot be overlooked in today’s NFL. Big games are won and lost off the leg of the league’s least-loved players. Rehkow has the tools to become a weapon for a team’s special teams.
Right out of high school, Rehko spent three years on a mission, so he joined the BYU program in 2020. In his first season on campus, he was not used much as the Cougars won 11 games and had a solid offense. He punted 28 times for an average of 45.1 yards per punt. Two of those punts went at least 60 yards. In 2021, he kicked it up a notch and punted 40 times for an average of 48.6 yards per punt. He launched six punts for at least 60 yards including an 83-yard nuke in the win over Arizona State.
Then, in 2022, Rehkow was tasked with 40 punts, and this time, he averaged 46.2 yards per punt. Five punts went at least 60 yards; three of which came in the win over SMU. His season-long was 71 yards against East Carolina. He is coming off of his best season in 2023. It saw him greatly increase his workload with 68 punts on the year but nearly matched his career-best with 48.4 yards per punt. Nine of his punts traveled 60 yards.
In his career, Rehkow earned Big 12 Punter of the Year honors and logged a 42% inside-20 rate.
Strengths
- Absolute cannon of a leg
- Was very productive all four years
- Continued to improve as the seasons went by
- Power isn’t a question, can certainly improve hangtime
- Has the ability to pin the ball inside the 10
- Four years as field goal holder as well
Weaknesses
- Had a few shanks
- Big leg sometimes resulted in line drives and out-kicking coverage
- Had a high return rate
- Allowed too many touchbacks
- Age, graduated high school in 2017
NFL Player Comparison: Drue Chrisman
Projection: Seventh Round
Best Fits: Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals
Bottom Line on Ryan Rehkow
Remember the hype surrounding “Punt God” Matt Araiza a couple of years ago? Rehkow is like a raw version of Araiza. Rehkow’s greatest assets might be his biggest weakness. If you challenge Rehkow to a punt distance contest, he would smoke just about any punter you punt in front of him. At the same time, he needs to improve his hang time. Line-drive punts are a recipe for disaster, especially with the dynamic returners in the league.
Rehkow has the ability to be the full-time punter but it would likely be in both his and the team’s best interest to have him compete in camp. There is no denying his raw talent. If he can be refined a bit, Rehkow will have a solid career in the NFL.
Main Image: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
