Those following the NFL Draft on Friday probably had to do a double take when they saw the Jaguars selected Cal punter Bryan Anger with the seventh pick in the third round. It was a pick for which the Jags came under fire — these days taking a punter that early is rarely seen. Even the team’s own players were critical of the selection. Here’s what tight end Zach Potter had to say:
Potter has since removed that tweet. That was probably when he finally realized he was actually going to be teammates with Anger.
In the Super Bowl era, only 19 punters have been drafted in the first three rounds. Todd Sauerbrun, the last punter selected higher than Anger, went to the Bears at the 24th pick of the second round in 1995. Ray Guy, of course, was a first-round pick by the Raiders in 1973, but then again, that’s the Raiders for you.
Anger certainly has some impressive credentials. He was an All-Pac-10/12 selection for the past three years. He also nailed 90 kicks inside opponents’ 20-yard line. But is that worthy of an early third-round pick?
Hey, this is what you have to do when your quarterbacks are Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne.
