K/P, Louisiana-Lafayette
Twitter handle: @Slashpod
Rankings: NFLDraftScout: 7th-ranked placekicker, #501 player overall, free agent grade.
Scouts Inc: 8th-ranked placekicker, rated as a free agent. Grade:30, borderline draft prospect.
NFLDraftCountdown: 7th-ranked placekicker, late-round to free-agent grade.
Biography/honors:
2012: The most accurate kicker in NCAA Division I history: 42-for-47 (89.4%) for his career. First team all-Sun Belt as kicker and punter. Made 20 of 23 FG attempts (87%) with a long of 52 and 53 of 56 PATs (95%, one blocked). Averaged 42.0 yards on 59 punts with 8 punts over 50 yards. Downed 22 punts inside the 20 with only 2 touchbacks. 7-for-9 for his career on onside kicks, recovering 4 of them himself. Averaged 59.9 yards per kickoff on 45 attempts, with no touchbacks. Had one FG attempt blocked. UL-L lost 27-20 to Florida after getting a punt blocked and returned for a TD with 13 seconds left in the game.
2011: Led the nation in field goal accuracy. Second-team all-Sun Belt as kicker and punter. Made 18 of 20 FG attempts (90%) with a long of 50 and 46 of 50 PATs (92%). FG misses were from 48 and a doink from 25. Averaged 40.3 yards on 79 punts with 12 over 50 yards. Downed 27 punts inside the 20, 12 inside the 10, 9 inside the 5 and had 5 touchbacks. 4-for-4 on onside kick attempts. Won two games with FGs as time expired, including a 50-yarder to win bowl game vs. San Diego State. Successful onside kick helped UL-L to another last-minute win.
2010: Primary kickoff specialist all 12 games. Took over as full-time placekicker for final 8 games. Made 7 of 7 FG attempts (100%) with long of 42 and 23 of 23 PATs (100%). Went 3-for-3 vs. Louisiana-Monroe. 3-for-5 in onside kick attempts. Made 6 tackles.
2009: Primary kickoff specialist, though with only one touchback. Averaged 55.7 yards per kickoff on 52 attempts. Made two tackles.
2008: Redshirted.
Major: exercise science.
Injuries: none reported.
Pro day:
Results are reasonably comparable to North Carolina State QB Mike Glennon's.
4.91 40
1.76 10-yard split
28” vertical jump
8'8" broad jump
7.59 3-cone drill
4.50 20-yard shuttle
10 bench press (Rams owner Stan Kroenke can do 12 reps)
Positives: Consistent performer. Accurate kicker with smooth tempo. Has developed physically over the past two years. Has leg speed and leg strength to be a legitimate NFL kicker. Has hit from 62 in specialists camp. Versatile, can punt and placekick. Excellent on onside kicks and very good at pinning the opponent deep on punts. Can punt for distance - had a 50-plus-yard kick almost every game as a senior. Handles pressure very well and has a tremendous attitude. Historically-accurate college kicker.
Negatives: Has yet to demonstrate an adequate leg for kicking off in the NFL. His kickoffs won't make it to the goal line. Only one regular NFL kicker, Justin Medlock, failed to average 60 yards a kickoff last season, and he's now unemployed.
Compares to: Kai Forbath.
Fun Facts: Talk about a clutch kick - though he missed a FG and a PAT earlier in the game, Brett's 50-yard FG as time expired won the 2011 New Orleans Bowl, giving Louisiana-Lafayette its first postseason win in over 100 years of playing football. UL-L won the 2012 New Orleans Bowl as well, with Brett kicking 3 FGs.
RamView: Short of an injury or a complete training camp meltdown by Greg Zuerlein, it doesn't look like Brett Baer will make it past the role of camp leg as a Ram. If he does get good hang time on his kickoffs, with his exceptional FG accuracy, he could easily fit what another team wants on special teams. It's smart of the Rams not to wear Zuerlein out in camp, but RamView really wanted to give Johnny Hekker and his weekly 25-yard shank a good push at punter. Baer sounds like a very precise punter and could also get some reps there, but again, I don't see NFL-quality leg strength.
Chance of making team: 5%, but he should have a good chance of catching on somewhere else and having a decent career.
Sources: NFLDraftScout, University of Louisiana at Lafayette athletics, NFLDraftCountdown, ESPN.com, The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.), Kohl's Professional Camps, WWNO-FM (New Orleans University), The News-Herald (Panama City, Fla.), The Tampa Bay Times, The Football Database
Photo: Yahoo
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