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After spending six years as the San Francisco 49ers‘ placekicker, Robbie Gould is set to test free agency for the first time since Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch were hired by the team, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Evaluating the situation, David Lombardi of The Athletic noted that Lynch mentioned a desire to evaluate kickers “intensively” at the NFL Scouting Combine and even gave two names to keep an eye on.
“Robbie Gould said after season that the 49ers would likely make a decision on their future at kicker at the NFL combine,” Lombardi wrote. “Indeed appears to have happened. John Lynch said SF would be scouting kickers intensively. Top 2 this class: -Michigan’s Jake Moody -Georgia’s Jack Podlesny.”
Though Gould has expressed an interest in returning in the past, Lombardi noted in another tweet that the 49ers appear set on saving money at the position and instead using their roughly $8 million in cap space on other positions of need, including a previously noted interest in a veteran backup quarterback.
“Not retaining Robbie Gould is a risk for 49ers,” Lombardi added. “He’s been money in biggest moments, including an NFL record 29-of-29 in playoffs. But keeping Gould at age 40 would’ve also posed decline risk and salary-cap opportunity cost on top of that: Rookie option should be ~$5m cheaper.”
Jake Moody Could Bring Consistency to the San Francisco 49ers
The first name mentioned by Lombardi, Moody is a two-year starter who completed 100 percent of his 116 extra point attempts and 86.7 percent of his 60 field goal attempts since 2021. Though he doesn’t have the longest leg, completing just 4-8 attempts from 50-plus during his starting tenure, Moody had a long of 59 yards and only missed four of his 52 attempts from 49 yards or shorter.
“Moody has just two seasons as a full-time kicker, but he was a consistent performer who could pull the team to wins when the offense sputtered,” Lance Zierlein wrote in his NFL.com draft profile. “He’s very reliable on kicks shorter than 40 yards but has been less consistent from longer distances. He’s capable on kickoffs and strikes the ball with consistency, so he should get a shot a chance to compete for a roster spot in camp.”
If the 49ers want to use one of their double-digit draft picks on a kicker with a long leg, Moody is certainly a player to keep an eye on.
Jack Podlesny Presents Championship Pedigree
The other player mentioned by Lombardi is Podlesny, the national championship-winning placekicker for the Georgia Bulldogs from 2020-2022. Though Podlesny wasn’t perfect on extra point attempts, missing one in each of his final two seasons in the Peach State, he finished out his college career with a field goal percentage of 82.4 and scored a career-high 151 points in 2022.
“Podlesny has kicked in some big games, but he missed two attempts in a narrow victory over Ohio State during last season’s playoff semifinal,” Zerlein wrote. “He also has a poor success rate on kicks from distance. Consistency and power are key, and Podlesny falls a little short in those areas.”
Over his four-year career in Athens, Podlesny only connected on four of his six attempts from 50-plus – going 1-3 in 2022 – and went 9-17 from 40-49 yards. Still, from 39 feet in, Podlesny was perfect, and that could inspire a team with a more conservative kicking game. With a 2021 Peach Bowl MVP, the 2022 SEC Special Teams Player of the Year award, and two National Championships on his resume already, Podlesny has one of the more interesting resumes in the 2023 NFL draft and very well may hear his name called during Day 3.
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