On Thursday, it was announced that the Indianapolis Colts have released their veteran kicker, Matt Gay. In 2023, the Colts signed Gay to a massive contract worth $22M, which was the largest contract for a free-agent kicker. At the time of this signing, it seemed like a good decision. However, in hindsight, it was a massive waste of money.
Gay was a Super Bowl-winning kicker and deadly accurate at his initial signing in 2023. At that time, the Colts were struggling on offense, so having a reliable kicker to get 3 points here and there was a must. Unfortunately, after moving to the Colts, Gay suffered a groin injury, and his accuracy dwindled immensely. Now that the Colts have an open spot on special teams, the NFL Draft might be the place to find their next kicker. A position that gets overlooked in the draft is a kicker, but the Colts could and probably should be in the market. This draft boasts several quality kickers who could become impact players in the NFL.
Three Kickers the Colts Should Consider in the 2025 NFL Draft
Ryan Fitzgerald, Florida State
Ryan Fitzgerald is a fifth-year senior at Florida State University and has had a stellar college career. Between 2022 and 2023, he had a combined 116 extra points and made 115. His extra-point attempts led the ACC. He also led the ACC in total points with 115. Most recently, in 2024, he led the entire NCAA in field goal percentage by not missing a single kick on 13 attempts. Granted, 13 is not a big sample size, but his offense struggled immensely which contributed to the lack of field goal attempts. In the year prior, he had 21 attempts and made 19. This 90.5% rate ranked 7th in the NCAA.
According to his NFL Combine analysis, he could be an immediate starting kicker in the NFL, which is what the Colts need from the draft. Fitzgerald also went five for five on field goals of 50 yards or more, which is also something the Colts need. He is projected to be a solid 5th-round pick that the Colts could potentially snag in the 6th.
Watch: Top Tight Ends in 2025 NFL Draft
Ben Sauls, Pittsburgh
Ben Sauls is also a fifth-year senior at the University of Pittsburgh. Over the past three years, he has had a solid career and has made a name for himself as being a reliable kicker. In the last three years at Pittsburgh, Sauls has yet to miss an extra point. In 2024, he had his best field goal percentage at 87.5% on 24 attempts. He made 21 field goals which ranked ninth in the NCAA and second in the ACC.
Sauls is also expected to be a fifth or sixth-round pick who displayed good deep-ball accuracy. In 2024, he went six for seven on field goals of 50 yards or more. According to his NFL Combine analysis, the main concern is that he kicks the ball low, which could contribute to a high percentage of blocks. However, his high percentage from long range could be the deciding factor. One of the main reasons why the Colts released Matt Gay was due to his inconsistencies with long-range attempts. If a kicker with the quality of depth like Sauls is on the table in the late rounds of the draft, the Colts should bite.
Andres Borregales, Miami
Andres Borregales is the number one ranked kicker coming into the NFL Draft. According to his NFL Combine analysis, the only concern is his hang time on kickoffs. While this is a concern, his upside is what separates him from the others. In 2023, he led the ACC in field goal attempts with 26. In 2024, he led the ACC in extra-point attempts with 62 and never missed. He also only missed one kick on 19 attempts in 2024, which ranked fourth in the NCAA. Borregales did not have as many attempts from 50 as Fitzgerald or Sauls, but he was very consistent and reliable when called upon. If the Colts are to go with a kicker during the 2025 NFL Draft, they would be wise to select Borregales if he is available in the later rounds.
Main Photo Credit: Syndication: The Indianapolis Star
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