Kickers in the draft

[drpatriot]

Now that Vinatieri has left us for Indy (blech), I decided to look into some of the kickers eligible draft. Do either of the following players seem viable to you? Do you know any other kickers that are good prospects for the Patriots?

Connor Hughes, Virginia: Was 21-for-24, including 3-for-4 from 40+ yards. From the stats, he appears to be consistent, only having missed 7 kicks out of 79. Could be a good pick in the later rounds.

Jon Scifres, Missouri St.: Was 10-for-14 last year but had a perfect 15-for-15 record last year. Has never attempted a kick from beyond 50 yards but has a record of 6-for-9 between 40 and 50 yards in his junior and senior years. Doesn't seem to be worth a draft choice to me, but could be a good pickup in free agency.

 

[WE ARE NOT DONE]

How about Josh Huston from OSU ( I am admittedly biased ). He was stuck behind Mike Nugent for a few years after a rough redshirt freshman season. He was very impressive as a 6th year senior last year. He would have won all of the National postseason awards for kickers if those didn't end up being based on career achievement. He also kicked nearly every kickoff for a touchback, even kicking one through the uprights against a very slight wind. He would be a very cheap alternative to AV. He may not be as accurate on FG's his rookie season as AV has been, but can you imagine kickoffs going into the end zone?