In the 2020 NFL Draft, Cleveland had every intention of drafting Florida kicker Evan McPherson at No. 153 overall, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. Unfortunately for the Browns, division-rival Cincinnati beat them to the punch, drafting McPherson four spots earlier. McPherson had an impressive rookie-season, converting 28 of 33 field goals and 46 of 48 extra points in the regular season, as well as going a perfect 14 of 14 on field goals and 6 of 6 on extra points in the Bengals’ Super Bowl run.
Afraid of watching another top kicker succeed elsewhere, Cleveland jumped at the opportunity to take this years’ best boot, LSU’s Cade York, at No. 124 overall. After missing four extra points and six field goals in his freshman year, York was perfect on extra points and only missed six-combined field goals in his last two seasons at LSU. York might be forgiven for his four missed extra points in 2019, as Joe Burrow and the Tigers’ championship-winning offense forced him to attempt an insane 93 extra points that year. His leg was probably pretty worn out. For comparison, he only attempted 75 extra points over the next two seasons.
Time will tell if the Browns spent a fourth-round pick to ensure a homerun addition or if the Browns’ fear of missing out yet again led to them jumping the gun and over-valuing the only kicker taken in the Draft.
Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC, starting with a rumor from the Steel City:
- Pittsburgh spent the 2021 NFL season without defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt due to both a knee injury suffered early in training camp and the grief of losing his brother during OTAs. The assumption, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, is that Tuitt’s knee is healed after a year, but the fact that he remained absent due to personal issues (according to the team) is the larger concern. If healthy, can Tuitt find the will to return to the field? Another potential absence before mandatory minicamp is the…