From now until the 2021 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to showcase as many prospects as possible and examine both their strengths and weaknesses. Most of these profiles will feature individuals that the Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to have an interest in, while a few others will be top-ranked players. If there is a player you would like us to analyze, let us know in the comments below.
#91 Drue Chrisman/P Ohio State – 6206 209
The Good
– Good build with solid hand size (9 1/2 inches)
– Consistent punter, doesn’t get too high or low, hangtimes and distances are steady
– Shows good directional punting and ability to pin teams inside 20, able to generate good bounces so ball dies instead of taking big bounce into end zone
– Lots of starting experience
– Experience as a holder, regarded as a very good one
– Good snap to punt times
– Pro-style punter
– Able to execute fakes, completed one pass
– Could kick field goals in a pinch
– Experience punting in bad weather
The Bad
– Lacks tremendous upside, not elite in any one area of punting
– Has an average leg, won’t consistently boom punts
– Didn’t have to punt much in 2020
Bio
– Four-year starting punter for Ohio State
– Career: 185 punts, 44.0 yard average
– 2020: 27 punts, 45.0 yard average (only season his average touched 45 yards)
– 38.9% inside 20 rate
– Right-footed punter
– Completed 21 yard pass in 2019
– Went viral for proposal to girlfriend, pretending to be the holder on a kick before proposing, now runs popular YouTube channel with fiancé
– Kicked field goals in high school, went 38/40 on extra points senior year, once kicked game-winning, 41-yard field goal
– Three-star recruit out of high school, chose Ohio State over BYU, Florida State, and UCLA, among others
Tape Breakdown
Drue Chrisman is the third punter I’ve broken down so far following Kentucky’s Max Duffy and Georgia Tech’s Pressley Harvin III. Chrisman isn’t commonly ranked as the class’s best punter, but he’s going to be my favorite of the group. He doesn’t have a singular, elite trait as a punter, but he’s very consistent and solid in pretty much every area.
It’s hard to find any weaknesses in his game in any one area. Here are his numbers in the key metrics I’ve been tracking:
Snap-to-Punt: 1.94 seconds
Hangtime: 3.95 seconds
Distance: 44.3 yards
Good, not great, numbers across the board. Hangtime is a little low but in line with the others. Pressley Harvin III’s hangtime came in at 4.00 seconds. In my charting of Chrisman, he flashed NFL hangtime with times of 4.23 seconds, 4.25 seconds, 4.38 seconds, and 4.65 seconds (which is a fantastic figure).
If you want placement, he can do it. This one takes a good bounce and is downed at the one.
If you want distance, he can do it. Lacks an elite leg but he can boot 50+ yards with regularity. Here is a 58-yard punt (not including the bounce) that should’ve been pinned deep, and would’ve been had the coverage unit found the ball quicker and not run into the return man (a smart play by Clemson WR Amari Rodgers, I should note).
But some punts were duds. Like this one: 36-yard punt with a 3.23 second hangtime.
Chrisman has also been regarded as an excellent holder. And that definitely has value, even if it’s tough for us to observe. Overall, he earns a draftable grade from me because he’s solid in every area. But it’s not a high grade. I would use a seventh round pick on him, but probably nothing higher than that. I probably wouldn’t bang the gavel for the Steelers to draft him.
Projection: Late Day 3/Priority Undrafted Free Agent
Games Watched: at Cincinnati (2019), at Northwestern (2019), at Clemson (2019), vs Clemson
