Scouting New York Jets punter Austin McNamara

The Jets just lately signed former Bengals punter Austin McNamara. Let’s due to this fact have a look at McNamara in additional element.

The 24-year previous McNamara is listed at 6’4” and 204 kilos. He went undrafted out of Texas Tech final season. He has but to make his NFL debut, however he was in coaching camp with the Bengals final season.

Background

McNamara was ranked as a three-star highschool recruit having been an all-state punter in Arizona.

He headed to Texas Tech, the place he broke a sequence of Texas Tech, Massive 12 and NCAA information over the course of his five-year profession. His 45.9 profession punting common was tenth all time within the NCAA. He averaged 48.2 yards per punt in 2021, to set the varsity and convention marks.

Throughout his profession, McNamara was a primary staff all-Massive 12 choice thrice, a second-teamer as soon as and an honorable point out as soon as. He additionally received a Massive 12 particular groups participant of the yr award.

Measurables/Athleticism

McNamara is huge for a punter, one thing which his particular groups coach with the Bengals, Darrin Simmons, mentioned is a bonus as a result of it creates extra velocity and pressure.

Leg Power

McNamara has a strong leg and will get good hold time on his punts. In 2023 alone, he had 21 punts of fifty yards or extra and he set an NCAA file with eight 50-yarders in a single recreation in 2021.

Scouting studies point out that he can tend to outkick his protection, which can be based mostly virtually fully on this play the place Derius Davis had an 82-yard landing return.

In any other case, although, the longest return he gave up in 5 years was a 50-yarder, once more by Davis, again in 2020.

Directional Punting

Scouting studies point out that McNamara just isn’t pretty much as good at placing contact on his kicks or pooch punting. He had a career-high seven touchbacks on 55 punts in 2023.

Previous to that, although, he had simply 17 in 190 profession punts, and he has proven some capability to pin the opposition deep.

Kicking

McNamara didn’t do any placekicking in faculty, however he did kick off as soon as, though it was not a touchback.

In his last yr of highschool, McNamara made 12 discipline targets, together with a 45-yarder, and all 63 of his additional level makes an attempt.

Tackling

Formally, McNamara had only one deal with in his faculty profession and it was a knowledge entry mistake, so he didn’t even have any. He doesn’t have any missed tackles both, however he bought caught up in visitors on Davis’ landing return.

Holding

McNamara has additionally functioned as a holder on the placekicking unit for many of his faculty profession with no obvious points.

Intangibles/Miscellaneous

One other damaging talked about in McNamara’s scouting report suggests he lacks consciousness of stress and is gradual to get his kicks off. These may be assumptions based mostly on the truth that he had 4 punts blocked in his profession.

The Pink Raiders ran one faux punt throughout his profession, on which he accomplished this 34-yard move for a primary down.

It’s value noting that one of many worst video games of his profession got here in chilly climate situations. He averaged simply 39 yards per punt towards Iowa State in 2022.

Conclusions

McNamara is 15 years youthful than Thomas Morstead and it’s honest to notice that this newest technology of punters that he comes from have been setting the bar greater than ever by way of punting numbers.

Morstead has continued to put up stable numbers with the Jets, however the numbers he’s at present placing him up would have had him among the many league leaders a number of years in the past whereas now he’s simply in the midst of the pack with so many big-legged children developing.

We just lately investigated whether or not the Jets wanted to herald any competitors for Morstead and finally concluded that they didn’t. The actual fact they’ve signed McNamara doesn’t essentially imply they view him as critical competitors. It’s extra seemingly that he’s only a camp leg, however he’s a participant who simply may have been drafted so we shouldn’t underestimate him.

If he can impress the Jets sufficient, then McNamara might be a candidate to switch Morstead down the highway, however his finest hope this yr might be only a follow squad spot.