In the seventh round of the draft on Saturday, the Los Angeles Rams found their new punter: Ethan Evans out of Division II Wingate University. They didn’t end up selecting a kicker in the draft but they moved quickly and scooped up one of the best available.
They’re signing North Carolina State kicker Christopher Dunn, along with Central Florida long snapper Alex Ward, filling the final two spots on the roster that didn’t have an active player.
Dunn never missed an extra point in five years at NC State, going a perfect 200-for-200. He was also accurate on his field goal attempts, making 97 of 115 of them for a conversion rate of 84.3%. Last season alone, he made 28 of 29 field goal tries, including a 2-for-2 mark on kicks from 50-plus yards.
He was one of the best kickers in the country, earning AP All-American honors and winning the Lou Groza Award as the top kicker in the FBS. He’s an accurate kicker but he doesn’t have the strongest leg, certainly not with the range that Matt Gay displayed.
Kicker Christopher Dunn (@PackFootball) has signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams.#KohlsElite // #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/Mrq8OwPRYY
— Kohl's Kicking Camps (@KohlsKicking) April 30, 2023
This doesn’t mean Dunn will be locked in as the Rams’ kicker in 2023. He’ll need to earn that spot and it’s very possible, even likely, that the Rams will bring in a veteran kicker to compete with him this summer.
But at the very least, landing the most accurate kicker from the 2022 season is a good start.
