From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Pitt kicker Ben Sauls.
No. 90 Ben Sauls/K Pitt – 5097, 182 pounds (Redshirt Senior)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Ben Sauls | 5097/182 | 9 5/8 | 29 | 71 1/2 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
THE GOOD
– Big-legged kicker with confident range from deep 50-yard ranges
– Ball gets tremendous arc under each kick, even from distance, with consistent end-over-end rotation
– High accuracy and proficiency under 40 yards (only two career misses) and 100-percent of his extra points last three years
– Many misses came from far-range (four from 50-plus last two seasons)
– Elite 2024 season and one of college football’s best kickers
– Handles clutch situations and meets the moment
– Experience and success kicking in adverse conditions (2022 UCLA game – wind) and at Acrisure Stadium throughout career
– Mentally tough and bounces back from misses; only missed two kicks in one game one time (Tennessee, 2022)
– Handled kickoffs with strong touchback rate following ’21 season
– Willing tackler and can run returners out of bounds
– Successful from any hash without any clear-cut patterns of failure
The Bad
– Smaller than average NFL kicker
– Follow-through appears inconsistent
– Ball can stay left on long kicks from left hash
– Tendency to slice ball more from the right hash
– Only one year of success from 50-plus yards, struggled year before
– Teams could be concerned by rare left-footed status
– Limited number of onside kick attempts (only one known/observed versus Boston College, 2024)
– Didn’t punt in college
– Didn’t appear to kick in many heavy rain games
– Will need to adjust to having new holder
Bio
– Three-year starting field goal kicker for Panthers, served as kickoff specialist in 2021 and continued role throughout career
– Career: 52-of-64 on field goals (81.3-percent), 122-of-124 on extra points (98.4-percent) one blocked kick
– 2024: 21-of-24 on field goals (87.5-percent) and made all 44 of extra points, named to All-ACC Third-Team
– Fifth in school history in scoring, 278 total points
– Six career tackles (all solo, all but one pushed player out of bounds)
– 2025 Shrine Bowl and NFL Combine invite, missing from 55-yards on final play of Shrine Bowl
– 2024: 6-of-7 on field goals of 50-plus (1-of-5 from that range in 2022-2023)
– Career-long is 58 yards with three additional makes of 57-yards (all in 2024)
– Made at least two-game winning field goals (2022 vs UCLA, 2024 vs Cincinnati) plus clutch field goal to take temporary lead late vs Clemson (2024)
– Two-star recruit from Tipp City, Ohio; chose Pitt over Arkansas, Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Iowa State
– Originally committed to Iowa State before flipping to Pitt
– Lost 2021 kicking battle but regained job in 2022, beating out Sam Scarton
– Made 3-of-5 field goals senior year of high school, long of 55
– Punted in high school, school-record 43.5-yards per punt
– Enjoys playing basketball and played it until senior year of high school
– Admits he was “scared to miss” early in 2022 season
– Led high school soccer team to first-ever state title, capping off undefeated season (23-0-1) record, leading team with 19 goals senior year
– 48 career goals were fourth when he left school and still ranks sixth today
– Had same holder at Pitt (punter Cam Guess) throughout entire college kicking career; two long-time friends who first met in high school
– Enjoys golfing/driving range, especially if he’s struggling kicking, makes comparison between swinging club and attempting a kick
Tape Breakdown
Ben Sauls went from high school soccer star to Pitt star kicker, even if the ride to get there was initially bumpy. On scholarship since 2022, Sauls didn’t gain the full-time field goal role until 2022. His first two seasons featured ups and downs, but he shined in 2024 as one of college football’s premier big-legged kickers.
It’s cliché to describe a specialist as the ball “exploding” off his leg, but it fits for Sauls, who has limitless range and can hit as far as you can expect anyone in the NFL to connect from. Sauls has deep-50 range in that he’s made from 57-58 yards throughout his final season. It wasn’t a one-time thing, either.
Just as impressive is the arc of his kicks. Sauls doesn’t attempt low-liners, which are prone to getting blocked or falling short of their target. His kicks have a consistent and pretty arch, increasing his power and range—a cut-up.
He’s kicked in difficult and clutch moments, too. Perhaps none tougher than the 2022 Sun Bowl against UCLA, fighting fierce winds to go 5-5, capped off with a 47-yarder in the final seconds in a Panthers’ win. He’s also made game-winners.
Lower field goal percentages in 2022 and 2023 may look daunting, but most of his misses came from deep range, half from 50-plus yards. Kicking in cold-weather climates throughout his career, first in Ohio and then at Pitt, is also a positive.
Negatives were difficult to find. Though not an outright knock, Sauls is a rare left-footed kicker. This excellent Wide Left article notes he’s the first left-footed kicker invited to the NFL Combine since 2008. History features just a handful of successful left-footed kickers in history, though the ones who qualify are memorable: Sebastian Janikowski, Morten Anderson, and John Kasay among them.
There’s no evidence that being a left-footed kicker is inherently tougher than a right-footed one. The only “concern” would be the holder having to catch the ball the opposite way, aligning left of the kicker instead of the “normal” right. What might be more interesting is that Sauls had the same holder throughout his college career. Every kicker has to adjust to a new holder at the NFL level, but this will be the first change he’s had to make since high school. For a position built on mental toughness and trust, those are adjustments worth noting.
On-field, there was some difficulty getting center-left/left-hash kicks to push to the right. He had a handful that stayed left of the uprights, and I imagine there’s a technique consideration of finishing his follow-through (which felt a little choppy on tape, sometimes with bigger swings and shallow slices) and clearing his hips to get the ball to go right. That included the final kick of his college career in this year’s Shrine Bowl.
It’s not a huge problem, and Sauls was excellent from both hashes, but it’s one semi-consistent negative observed.
Conclusion
Overall, Ben Sauls became an excellent long-range kicker during his final year at Pitt, showing accuracy and consistency throughout his career. If he can carry that through the NFL, Sauls has the ability to become a reliable kicker with a 55-60-yard range when needed. Drafting kickers is always tricky, but he’s worth late-round consideration.
My NFL comp is David Akers, a fellow left-footed kicker with an outstanding career.
Projection: Late Day Three-Undrafted
Depot Draft Grade: 6.3 – Sixth/Seventh Round (End Of Roster/Practice Squad)
Games Watched: 2022-2024 Make Cut-Ups, 2023-2024 Misses, 2025 Shrine Bowl
