Poll question!!
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Washington Commanders fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in regular email surveys.
We’re back with one final Reacts survey before the NFL draft kicks off on Thursday night.
Today, we have just one simple question: Should the Commanders use a late round pick to draft a rookie kicker?
With only five draft picks in hand, it might seem like a waste of time to use one on a kicker, but, when you think about it, kickers and punters are much more valuable than one more third-string linebacker, which is who we often see drafted at picks 205 or 245.
Don’t believe me? Think about how valuable Tress Way has been to Commanders field position for the past decade (not to mention his skills as a regular holder on field goals and occasional passer on fake punts), and how comforting it’s been to see him sprinting onto the field in a burgundy & gold uniform since 2014.
Tress Way, in his 12th season here, is the longest-tenured Commander on the team’s roster. It’s possible that a well-drafted kicker could have a similar career, which, again, would contrast favorably with the careers typical of most 6th or 7th round picks.
Consider that, about a month ago, in an informal poll published at the end of an article here on Hogs Haven about Nick Folk — an older veteran kicker who has been the NFL’s most accurate field goal kicker over the past two seasons — 94% of readers said that they would be in favor of signing Folk to a contract for 2025, indicating that survey respondents recognize the importance of having the right kicker on the roster.
After all, on NFL teams, the place kicker is usually the highest scoring player on the roster, and the ability to deliver under pressure and from long range comprise valuable attributes that help win games. One late-game field goal made or missed could be the difference between making or missing the playoffs — or advancing to the next round or going home once you get there. Getting the right guy can pay off handsomely. Just ask the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts fans how they feel about 4-time super bowl champion Adam Vinatieri.
Of course, some people feel as though teams should never use draft capital to acquire ST specialists (punter, kicker, long snapper). The idea is that these are low-paid “commodity” positions, and that kickers in particular lack the consistency to make it worthwhile to draft one. For these people, the right move is always to sign an undrafted free agent or sign a guy when he is cut from another team’s roster (which is exactly how Washington got Tress Way — claiming him off of waivers when he was cut by the Bears at the end of the 2014 preseason).
However you feel about this question, now is the time to let everyone know. Should Adam Peters draft a kicker this week, or should he either ride with Zane Gonzalez or bring in competition that doesn’t require expending draft capital?
Comments & Results
Of course, we invite you to answer the survey question below, but also hope you feel free to expand on your answer and provide nuance in the comments section that follows. I rely on those comments when discussing the results of the survey when they are posted in a separate article on Thursday.