Today in the 7th round of the NFL Draft the Detroit Lions selected kicker/punter Nate Freese from Boston College. Freese who went a perfect 20/20 on field goals this year, was shockingly left off the Groza Award finalist list. A model of consistency, Freese had a mammoth senior season, with his crowning moment being a 52 yard field goal against Maryland with time expiring. If you want to watch that kick again, you can see it below:
Nate played all four seasons with the Eagles, finishing 2010 22/25 on field goal attempts, 10/16 in 2011, and 18/20 in 2012. One of Freese's biggest weapons was his kickoffs, where he put his defense in great position by hitting touchbacks on nearly 70% of his kicks. He also punted this past season, averaging 41.7 yards per punt.
Freese to this point is one of two place kickers to be drafted, joining Zack Hocker of Arkansas. Freese was the 220th pick of the draft, and the third Eagle drafted proceeding Andre Williams (Giants) and Kevin Pierre-Louis (Seahawks). The Lions are in desperate need of a kicker (as pointed out by our own Dan Rubin), so Freese could immediately see playing time. Top that off with dome conditions which should help with his range and make his kickoffs an almost automatic touchback, and he could be playing in the NFL for years to come.
Good luck in Detroit Nate!