Michael Badgley is back as the kicker for the Detroit Lions. Well, he’s currently the kicker again after re-signing in Detroit recently.
Lions GM Brad Holmes is happy to have Badgley back, but the re-signing is far from a strong commitment to having the “Money Badger” be the team’s kicker in 2024.
In a radio spot on 97.1 The Ticket on Monday, Holmes ensured that Badgley will have to win the job again.
“Badgley, he’s done a nice job. He’s been clutch throughout his career. He’s done what we’ve needed to do, so he’s been good,” Holmes said Monday.
“Now, with all positions, there will be competitions. And Badgley understands that, he knows there will be competition. But right now, I understand that he did a nice job; he signed, but he’s still gonna have competition.”
That competition could come from the collegiate ranks. It’s generally regarded as a good draft class for kickers, though actually using draft picks to select kickers isn’t generally viewed as an advantage. It’s plausible the Lions would use a late-round pick on a kicker if it’s a great fit, but the expectation is more for an undrafted free agent to sign and compete with Badgley for the position–if Holmes and the Lions don’t look at another free agent with some NFL experience.
Here are a few of the notable kickers in the 2024 NFL draft.
Joshua Karty, Stanford
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Karty is one of the most successful kickers in college football history. He made 85 percent of his field goals in three seasons as Stanford’s kicker and missed just one extra point.
Aside from delivering in the clutch, Karty does have impressive range. Karty was 8-for-15 from beyond 50 yards and drilled a career-high 61-yard make in 2022. He missed just two kicks under 50 yards in his career. During Senior Bowl practices, he made three in a row from 55 yards but did miss two from inside 50 in the breezy outdoor conditions.
As an added plus, Karty had a career touchback percentage of over 80 percent.
Of all the kickers in this class, Karty is the most likely to be drafted.
Will Reichard, Alabama
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Reichard is the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer amongst kickers. A steady performer for five seasons at Alabama, Reichard scored 547 total points in college.
Reichard was an 84 percent career field goal kicker and raised that to 88 percent (22-for-25) in 2023. His range tops out at a career-best 52 yards, but he’s consistent from that range — an impressive 8-for-10 over the last two seasons from 50-52 yards. Reichard has also filled in as a punter for eight attempts in college.
Harrison Mevis, Missouri
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Mevis made at least 20 field goal attempts in each of his four seasons as Missouri’s kicker, with a career-long of 61 yards. He also missed just one extra point (147-for-148).
There is a bit of Matt Prater to Mevis. Much like the longtime Lions kicker, Mevis was better for the Tigers from beyond 50 yards (13-for-18) than he was from between 40 and 50 (20-for-28). He was generally effective on kickoffs with a 60 percent touchback rate and he never booted a single kickoff out of bounds in college.
Cam Little, Arkansas
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Little spent three seasons as Arkansas’ kicker, and he was an effective one. A career 82 percent on field goals, Little was perfect on extra points in college.
He rose to draft prominence in 2023 by making 4-for-5 kicks from beyond 50 yards, including makes from 52, 55 and 56 in consecutive games. Little was fourth in the nation in touchback percentage at over 85, too.