Buffalo has drafted San Diego State Aztecs kicker Matt Araiza. Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Bills select 'Punt God' Matt Araiza in sixth round of 2022 NFL Draft

By Adam Stites | Last updated 4/30/22

Few teams punted less often that the Buffalo Bills did in the 2021 season, but the team bolstered its punting anyway Saturday by taking San Diego State's Matt Araiza in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Araiza, 21, earned the nickname "Punt God" during his time in college after setting an NCAA record with 51.19 yards per punt. He blasted 18 punts of at least 60 yards and two punts of more than 80 yards.

Here’s new Bills P Matt Araiza with an 86-yard pic.twitter.com/v9rLgw3Grw
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 30, 2022

The historic season earned Araiza the Ray Guy Award, recognizing the nation's top punter, but he surprisingly wasn't the first punter off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Baltimore Ravens picked Penn State's Jordan Stout in the fourth round, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Georgia's Jake Camarda three picks later.

Concerns about Araiza out-kicking his coverage may be to blame for his slide to third among punters.

Buffalo punted only 53 times during the 2021 season and had three games with no punts at all. Matt Haack, who handled the punting duties for the Bills, finished with 42.9 yards per punt, well below the league average of 45.6 yards. Only the Buccaneers finished with fewer yards per punt on the year.

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