Will Reichard 2024 NFL Draft Overview
Height: Six-foot-one
Weight: 187 pounds
Position: Kicker
School: Alabama
2024 NFL Draft: Will Reichard Scouting Report
Special teams is just as important as the rest of the game of football and too often are kickers and punters pushed to the wayside. Over the last three postseasons, 15 games out of 39 were decided by three points or less. Oddly enough, each of the last three Super Bowls was decided by exactly three points each. Kickers are important.
Will Reichard enrolled at Alabama as the top kicker of the 2019 recruiting cycle. Immediately, he made an impact as a true freshman. Despite being hampered by injuries, Reichard played in five games for The Tide and converted 21-of-22 extra points, and was 4/7 for field goals. He was also the kickoff specialist and 22 of his 29 kickoffs resulted in touchbacks.
As a sophomore in 2020, Reichard was perfect. He made all 84 extra points and 14 field goals he attempted. The Tide changed their strategy a bit on kickoffs and he converted 14 of his 69 kickoffs went for touchbacks. In 2021, Reichard showed that he was human. He was 71-of-72 on extra points and made 22-of-28 field goals. This time, he managed 59 touchbacks off of his 106 kickoffs.
In 2022, Reichard recorded a perfect record on extra points, going 64-of-64. When it came to field goals, Reichard converted on 22 off of 26 attempts. Then, in 2023, Reichard continued his dominance. He made all 55 extra points he attempted and converted on 22-of-25 field goals.
Now that it’s all said and done, Reichard leaves Alabama with his name up and down the record books. He owns program records for made field goals, 50+ yarders, and extra points. Additionally, he owns NCAA record (not just FBS) records for points (547).
He ended up as a College Football Playoff National Champion (went 11/11 XP and 2/2 FG in CFP), two-time Second-Team All-American (2020, 2023), Second-Team All-SEC (2022), First-Team All-SEC (2023), and SEC Special Teams Player of the Year (2023).
Strengths
- Most productive player in NCAA history
- 84% FG (84/100)
- Was 10/13 from 50+ career
- Can punt in a pinch
- Has regular, replicable technique
- Well-versed in high-leverage situations at Alabama
- Only one blocked kick
Weaknesses
- Will need to improve kickoffs
- Older prospect
NFL Player Comparison: Shaun Suisham
Projection: Fifth/Sixth Round
Bottom Line on Will Reichard
No college football player has ever scored to the level of Will Reichard. When he came onto the scene, there was a collective “oh, great, Nick Saban finally has a kicker.” Those groans were well-founded as Reichard went on to be one of the most prolific kickers the game has ever seen.
Reichard does not have many deficiencies in his game. In all reality, he might be the safest pick among all of the specialists in this year’s class. He’s older but does that really matter for a kicker?
He is more than capable of hitting field goals from anywhere and everywhere and showed that he can even launch the 50+ yarders.
Main Image: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports
