Buffalo Bills place emphasis on place kicking by selecting Tyler Bass

With the 188th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills selected placekicker, Tyler Bass out of Georgia Southern.

During his time as an Eagle, the Irmo, S.C., native he went 54 for 68 in field goal attempts in 54 games for 79.41% with his longest kicks of the year being around the 50-yard line. Tyler Bass has earned a slew of All-Sun Belt Conference team nominations including a 2019 All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team, a 2018 All-Sun Belt Conference First Team, and a 2017 All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team. In his senior season, he also earned an All-America Second Team nomination as well.

Any time a kicker is selected outside of the seventh round, fans can have mixed feelings about the use of the pick. By adding Bass, the Bills secure the predecessor to Stephen Hauschka who was extended last season but has been trending downward the past three years. When he was with the Seahawks, Hauschka’s field goal percentage was in the high 80’s and low 90’s but in his past two seasons, he has since dropped below those numbers. Recording a field-goal percentage of 78.6% the past two seasons and going 5 of 12 from 50-yards plus, it is unclear whether Hauschka’s leg has the power it once had. Under his current contract extension, the Bills have the option to get out of Hauschka’s contract with minimal dead cap if they chose to go with Bass heading into the regular season.

Kickers are often a position that is overlooked but when a player can get you an automatic three points each and every time he connects with the ball, it takes the pressure off the offense to try and get that extra yard.

In addition, we have seen in previous years how important kicking can be, may I remind you of the Scott Norwood wide right kick? If the Buffalo Bills are going to be Super Bowl contenders, they need to be the best at every position and that includes placekicker.