NFL Draft Could Be a Silent Three Days for Ohio State K Noah Ruggles

Ohio State Buckeyes kicker Noah Ruggles had a difficult end to his college career, and the beginning of his time in the NFL might not be much better.

NFL analyst Jim Breech says no kickers will hear their name called during the three days of the 2023 NFL Draft, including Ruggles.

Ruggles spent two seasons with the Buckeyes after transferring from North Carolina in 2021, and was a perfect 134-for-134 on point-after-touchdown (PAT) tries during his first year at Ohio State.

The Odessa, Florida native had a spectacular year last season, aside from a heartbreaking miss at the end of the 2023 Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl that would have defeated No. 1 Georgia and punched Ohio State's ticket to the National Championship. Ruggles converted 85% of his field goals (17-for-20) but almost 99% with PATs (74-for-75).

There are a number of teams in need of a new leg, but Breech says they will look to post-draft free agency to fill this position.

Among the teams who could use a new starting boot are the Los Angeles Rams, who will spend their first season since 2020 without kicker Matt Gay. Gay was extremely reliable last year, converting over 90% with both field goals (28-of-30) and extra point attempts (31-of-32). 

Another team potentially interested in taking Ruggles following the conclusion of the draft is the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys relied on the leg of Brett Maher in 2022, who missed four extra points in a row during the NFC wild-card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Maher is currently a free agent, one of 19 whom Dallas has had to think about over this offseason so far.

Ruggles could fit well in either of these situations (or somewhere else), but may need to patiently wait until the end of the draft in order to begin his career in the pros.

The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft airs Thursday evening, beginning at 8 p.m. ET, on ESPN and the ESPN app.

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