Why McVay Is Impressed With 2nd-Year Veteran

Head coach Sean McVay said he’s looking for his second-year kicker to carry forward the momentum he had and the end of his rookie season, when he finished by hitting each of his last 17 field goals.

“I'm just super impressed with his mental resolve,” McVay said Saturday. “I think there was some instances last year where you could just see he just got better and better as the year progressed. He’s got a consistent process that he commits to.”

Part of that process might come from his background as a ping pong player. Karty founded and presided over the ping pong club at Western Alamance High School in Elon, N.C.

No competition at camp

After selecting Karty in the sixth round (209th overall) of the 2024 draft, the Rams have no competition for their young kicker in training camp this year. The organization wants him to focus on building chemistry with his placeholder and punter, Ethan Evans, and long-snapper Alex Ward.

“I don't think you can take for granted the rapport between him, Ethan and Alex,” McVay added. “That’s a big deal as those guys are continuing to grow together. I really like where he's at.”

A 6-2, 207-pound athlete from Stanford, Karty was 9-for-9 in the playoffs last year on his combined field-goal and extra-point attempts, impressive for a rookie. During the regular season, he converted 29 of 34 field-goal attempts (85.3 percent) and 32 of 36 PATs (88.9 percent).

Flipping the switch

Perhaps most impressive, Karty was only 16 of 21 on field goals (76.2 percent) after missing a 47-yard attempt in the 37-20 loss to the Eagles at SoFi Stadium in Week 12. His response was that string of 17 straight successful field goals to end the year, including postseason.

The Rams rebounded with him, answering that Eagles loss with five straight wins to clinch the NFC West and a home playoff game.

• And if Karty ever wants to glean golf pointers that could help him with his leg swing, he might want to chat with All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams.

• “He’s picked up a real passion for golf and he's pretty damn good at it,” McVay said, referring to Adams.

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