#203 K Will Reichard Alabama

[JimmyinSD]

Fills a need and the top at his position, anybody bitching about that from a 6th round pick needs a shot of reality. Anything besides special teams in the last 2 rounds are really flyers and jsut practice squad material in most cases so why not a K?

[purplefaithful]

Hey I have a prediction ---

Our 203rd pick of the draft will win more games for the 24 Vikings than our 10th overall pick will

[StickierBuns]

Great story on Reichard:

https://www.al.com/sports/2024/04/the-no...chard.html

[Havoc]

Gotta have a kicker and the truly good ones are hard to come by. We drafted one before and the idiot Zimmer cut him. He’s gone on to be one of the better kickers in the league. These guys will appreciate this guy and hopefully we don’t need to take another for a decade plus.

[purplefaithful]

Thats a good find Stickier...

Kid played for Saban for a 1/2 decade and thats not easy.

Further sharpened in some of the biggest, pressure packed situations you can have in CFB. I think it was a great get. Hopefully he is our kicker for the next 7+ seasons...

[MaroonBells]

We needed a kicker, we drafted the consensus top kicker, so he has a chance to not only be our starting kicker this year, but our kicker for a decade. Anyone bitching about investing a 6th rounder on that needs to get a grip.

[StickierBuns]

We needed a kicker, we drafted the consensus top kicker, so he has a chance to not only be our starting kicker this year, but our kicker for a decade. Anyone bitching about investing a 6th rounder on that needs to get a grip.

He's going to be a Ryan Longwell type when he was in Green Bay. Automatic and cold blooded. His range will be maximized kicking in U.S. Bank stadium.

[badgervike]

I was hoping to pick up a UDFA kicker but credit to the team for recognizing that teams were going to draft a kicker and make a move. There was a run on kickers just behind this selection. We needed a kicker and that draft pick was at best likely to be a special teams player vs an everyday contributor. I'm hoping we're actively watching the cutdowns and PS for some reinforcements at IDL and Defensive Tackle which are the positions in most need. There are likely a few gems on other teams with higher level talent than what was available that late in the draft. Hopefully, we can poach another team's PS.

[purplefaithful]

Vikings drafted kicker Will Reichard because of how he handles pressure

He set an NCAA record at Alabama with 547 points, making 84 field goals and 295 extra points in his career

Will Reichard has long been known for his accuracy as a kicker. Not necessarily his power. Yet, when Alabama absolutely needed Reichard to come through from distance this year against Michigan in the Rose Bowl, he converted from 50 yards, then from 52 yards.

He always seems to be at his best when the lights are bright.

“It’s super important to be able to kick well in big-time pressure situations,” Reichard said. “That’s something that I take a lot of pride in.”

That should serve Reichard well as he steps into the pressure cooker that is being a kicker in Minnesota. He was selected by the Vikings in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft on Saturday largely because they believe he can handle it. That much was apparent to special teams coordinator Matt Daniels throughout the pre-draft process.

“All this guy has done is have success,” Daniels said. “He’s shown how consistent he can truly be.”

The numbers spoke for themselves. Reichard set an NCAA record at Alabama with career 547 points — 84 field goals and 295 extra points. He most recently went 22 for 25 on field-goal attempts and 55 for 55 on extra-point attempts.

As the Vikings studied tape on Reichard, it often felt like they were watching replays. Most of the kicks looked the same, especially as they sailed through the uprights.

“In my personal evaluations, something I borrowed, is called net pattern,” college scout Steve Sabo said. “Where’s the ball hitting the net? You watch a lot of his kicks, and it’s center net, center net, center net.”

That’s a testament to Reichard and his attention to detail.

“The biggest thing that I appreciate within his game is how well he consistently strikes the ball,” Daniels said. “Never really does he have any miss hits. His balls always have good trajectory. He’s never had a field goal blocked, so that says a lot about the operation.”

Though the Vikings had a lot of interest in Reichard, they opted not to bring him for a private workout. Instead, they met with him on Zoom for a couple of hours, putting him on the spot with a bunch of different questions. How does he respond to certain situations? How does he like to be coached? How does he handle himself with his teammates?

“Those were the things that we wanted to dive into,” Daniels said. “Just truly kind of get to know the individual.”

Maybe the biggest thing the Vikings learned about Reichard throughout the draft process was his passion for his craft. He’s literally been preparing for this moment since he was about 8 years old.

“I grew up playing soccer,” Reichard said. “My dad decided that I needed to be a little bit tougher on the soccer field. So, I signed up for football, and when it came for kicking trials, I was the only soccer player on the team. I won the job and found out that I really loved it. Just kind of stuck with it and been training ever since.”

Now he’s here.

“It’s my lifelong dream to play in the NFL, and the Vikings have given me an opportunity to come in and compete,” Reichard said. “I’m super grateful for that.”

https://www.twincities.com/2024/04/28/vi...-pressure/

[StickierBuns]

https://twitter.com/LindseyMNSports/stat...wcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportingnews.com%2Fus%2Fnfl%2Fnews%2F2024-nfl-draft-vikings-alabama-dallas-turner-will-reichard%2Fc6544625d1a1f4892b1706ab