Who is the 49ers kicker Why San Francisco drafted Jake Moody to replace Robbie Gould
Who is the 49ers kicker Why San Francisco drafted Jake Moody to replace Robbie Gould
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When the Bears scooped up Robbie Gould as a free agent ahead of the 2017 NFL season, the hope was that the veteran would be a solid stopgap for the team.It turns out he was able to be a lot more than that.Gould spent six seasons with the 49ers, and during that time, he was one of the NFL's most accurate kickers. He made 87.5 percent of his field goals during the six-year span and made 13 of his 20 attempts from beyond 50 yards.While Gould was still strong in 2022, San Francisco opted not to bring back its long-time starter for the 2023 season. Instead, the 49ers turned to a young, fresh face at the kicker position while Orlando Pace Jersey effectively allowing Gould to ride off into the sunset.MORE: Here's what to know about the big change the 49ers made at kicker during the 2023 NFL offseason.Jake Moody is the new 49ers kicker. The rookie joined the team after becoming a third-round pick out of Michigan, where he starred. He made all 160 of his career extra points and 69 of 84 field goals, good for a percentage of 82.1.Moody had two seasons during which he attempted at least 10 field goals and made 90 percent or better of them. That included his penultimate season in 2021, when he made 23 of 25 attempts.Moody is an accurate kicker, but he also has a big leg. That's part of what made him a coveted prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. Usually, kickers and special teams players exclusively go on Day 3 of the draft; Moody managed to buck that trend by getting selected in the top 100 picks.Thus far, Moody's skill set has translated well to the NFL. He quickly was able to earn the trust of coach Kyle Shanahan with his offseason performance, as ."He's been great," Shanahan said when asked about Moody. "We know we got the right guy, we really like his mentality and mindset. We're excited to go to battle with him. He's going to be our dude this year, and I think he's going to be our dude for a long time."Through four weeks, Moody has done little to dispel that notion. He has been perfect while kicking for the 49ers, fully staking his claim to the job and showcasing his long-term upside.NFL POWER RANKINGS: As mentioned, Moody has been perfect on the season, making all nine of his field goals and all 14 of his extra-point attempts. He is one of just three kickers in the league to be perfect on all kicks while attempting at least nine field goals. Tyler Ba s and Nick Folk are the others.Moody has been able to show off his leg strength during the season, as well. His longest field goal attempt of the season was a 57-yarder, which he made with room to spare.Automatic | NFL Sunday Ticket On YouTube Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) Moody has also served as the kickoff specialist for the 49ers. He has averaged 63.4 yards per kickoff and has a Marshall Faulk Jersey touchback percentage of 73.7 percent.So, suffice to say that Moody is helping the 49ers to effectively replace Gould at kicker. And in doing so, he is living up to his lofty draft status.MORE: Moody became the 40th kicker in NFL history to be selected with a top-100 pick and just the 27th to be selected in the first three rounds of the draft.Charlie Gogolak remains the earliest kicker selection in NFL history. Washington selected him with the sixth overall pick in the 1966 NFL Draft.Only three kickers in addition to Gogolak were made first-round selections. Meanwhile, six total have been selected within the top 32 picks, the current number of selections in the first round of the modern-day NFL Draft.Below is a look at those specialists:YearKickerTeamRoundOverall1966Charlie GogolakWashington161978Steve LittleCardinals1151979Ru sell Erxleben*Cardinals1152000Sebastian JanikowskiRaiders1221966Jan StenerudChiefs3241954Tom MinerSteelers331So, Moody might not be in the top-tier, elite-level company; however, since 2000, only four kickers have been chosen higher than the 49ers rookie. The most recent of that bunch was Roberto Aguayo, who fizzled out after being drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.YearKickerTeamRoundOverall2000Sebastian JanikowskiRaiders1172005Mike NugentJets2472016Roberto AguayoBuccaneers2592004Nate KaedingChargers3652023Jake Moody49ers399Janikowski, Nugent and Kaeding all had long and fruitful NFL careers. Moody will be hoping to follow suit and is on track in his quest to do that.MORE: Gould became a free agent during the 2023 NFL offseason, and the 49ers did not re-sign him.However, the 40-year-old told at the American Century Championship that he "would've loved to have gone back" to San Francisco."I told them I wanted to go back there," Gould said. "We never got an offer from the team, and we never had a conversation about coming back."Once it became clear the 49ers weren't interested in having Gould back, the veteran went on the offensive. He announced on X (formerly Twitter) that he would be looking to play elsewhere but still acknowledged that he wanted to play again in San Francisco."The change wasn't my decision," Gould said. "Obviously, at the end of the season, they had to make a decision, and ultimately they wanted to go in a different direction. We put out the tweet that we were going to go in a different direction once we found that out. It was a great run, and it was a lot of fun. I wish all my teammates nothing but the best."Fast forward a few months, and Gould remains unsigned and out of work. And while Gould wanted another chance to showcase his strong leg, it isn't clear whether that will crop up. After all, Gould hasn't made a field goal longer than 52 yards since 2019.So, while Gould's accuracy and experience could make him a solid replacement kicker or fill-in should a starter get hurt, it's worth wondering whether his dwindling leg strength will force him to simply retire. Eric Dickerson Jersey
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