New England Patriots have ended a 23-year wait by snapping-up a punter and a kicker in the same NFL Draft.
The AFC East franchise drafted Maryland kicker Chad Ryland after trading up for the 112th pick in the fourth round on Day 3 on Sunday. And they then got their hands on Michigan state punter Bryce Baringer two rounds later at No 192 overall.
The last time an NFL team selected a punter and a kicker in the same Draft was back in 2000 as the Oakland Raiders picked Sebastian Janikowski in Round 1 and Shane Lechler in Round 4. Janikowski went on to hold down the role of starting kicker at the team for 17 seasons, while Lechler earned six first-team All-Pro selections.
