Before the 2024 season, the Detroit Lions re-signed Michael Badgley to the kicker position, but they also plan to add
more competition. Though he did so only at the end of the 2023 campaign, Badgley has kicked for the team in each
of the previous two years. Early in the season, he was part of the team’s practice squad, but after a protracted battle
with Riley Patterson, he was finally selected for the starting lineup. According to general manager Brad Holmes, the
squad will probably add another player to compete for the position. In 2023, when Badgley and Patterson were vying
for the position against John Parker Romo, the organization followed suit during training camp.
Detroit may want to seek a kicker in the draft this year because there are a number of interesting choices expected to
be available. Since choosing Nate Freese in the 2014 draft, the Lions have not selected a kicker. Nonetheless, a
number of this year’s Draft candidates had strong college careers and might be selected in later rounds. The Lions
may select one of these five kickers in the April Draft. 5. Alex McNulty Buffalo Thanks to a redshirt and the extra year
given due to the pandemic, McNulty enjoyed a successful six-season career at Buffalo. During his career, he made a
number of impressive kicks, one of which was a 55-yarder against Northern Illinois in 2021 that set a UB record.
Although McNulty’s % isn’t as steady as some of the players on this list, he has a huge leg, as shown by his several
makes from over 50 yards. Even though he only converted 68.2 percent of his kicks, throughout the previous three
seasons, he hit at least two from distances of fifty or more. 4. Arkansas’s Cam Little Little had a successful career as a
Razorback, but he decided to quit college a year early. In his last campaign, he made 56 kicks, hitting more than 80%
of them. Having made seven field goals longer than fifty yards at the end of his career, he demonstrated his
consistency in long-range shooting. In his three seasons, Little missed just nine kicks while also being a freshman
All-American.
Throughout his career, Mevis has made a number of crucial kicks, most notably a 61-yard game-winning kick against
Kansas State in 2023. He hit a career-high and the SEC record for the longest field goal with that. Mevis, the all-time
leader in points scored for Missouri, finished his career with 405 points and only missed one extra point in four
seasons. He was reliable, making 86 out of 103 field goals. 2. Stanford’s Joshua Karty Over the previous three
seasons at Stanford, Karty saw great success. Finishing his career with an 85% conversion rate, he converted 51 out
of 60 kicks. Last season, he made 23 throws, 11 of which were from 40 yards or more.
The Stanford product has shown himself to be dependable when it matters most, even going so far as to exceed 60
yards in 2022 with a 61-yard boot. Throughout his three seasons kicking for the Cardinals, Karty had a long of more
than fifty. In that time, he only missed one more point. 1. Alabama’s Will Reichard The NCAA’s all-time leading
scorer is also the most highly regarded kicking prospect in this year’s Draft. In the latter five years of his remarkable
career, Reichard made 84 out of 100 field goals attempts.
In addition, he made 295 of 297 extra point tries, good for a career point total of 508 against the NCAA record.
In2023, Reichard was a second-team All-American and had ten kicks of more over fifty yards. Throughout his 52-
year career, he has demonstrated his ability to shoot consistently from a distance. In addition, he had a career-
ending 73 percent batting average on kicks from 40 yards and beyond.
