GM McKenzie gets a punter — and sees son drafted by Chiefs
Johnny Townsend said he was on a phone call Saturday when he saw that the Packers had selected Alabama punter JK Scott with the 172nd overall pick in the NFL draft.
Townsend, the former Florida punter, was on the phone with the Raiders, who then made him pick No. 173.
It was rare timing — reportedly the first instance since 1982 of punters being drafted with back-to-back picks — but not reactionary, according to Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie.
The Raiders were expected to target a punter in the draft after releasing Marquette King last month. McKenzie said late Saturday he had earmarked the fifth-round pick for a punter — and that he favored Townsend.
“It worked out great,” McKenzie said.
Two other punters had been drafted: Scott and Texas’ Michael Dickson. The Seahawks actually traded up in the fifth round to select Dickson, the 2017 Ray Guy Award winner and projected top punter in the draft.
Still, McKenzie said that in Townsend: “I had my punter there.”
“I love the kid,” McKenzie said. “His little brother was a roommate of my son at Tennessee before he transferred back to Florida to be with (Johnny). But I know the family very well. I know what he’s made of. He does a great job of directional punting. He’s a great holder, great little athlete. I think he’s got a lot of intangibles to be one of the best punters in years to come.”
The Raiders’ next punter — right now Townsend’s only competition on the roster is untested UC Davis alum Colby Wadman — is following a productive one. King was named second-team All-Pro in 2016 and last season ranked third in the league in net punting average (42.7 yards). The Raiders cut King in March, saving $2.9 million against the salary cap in 2018.
The Raiders have a history of punters that includes Guy, a Hall of Famer and first-round draft pick in 1973, and Shane Lechler, the last punter drafted by Oakland, who was taken in the fifth round in 2000 during Jon Gruden’s first stint as head coach.
“It’s pretty unbelievable,” Townsend said Saturday on a conference call. “With Lechler and Marquette, (the Raiders) have an unbelievable history with punters. So I’ve got some big shoes to fill when I step up in there.”
King is an outgoing personality who sometimes acted out on the field, earning a handful of personal-foul flags. Townsend said he actually knows King through camps and follows him “across all social media,” and so he probably knows of King’s penchant for celebrating after punts.
“I’m the type of guy just to kick the ball and run off the field or kick the ball and try to make a tackle,” Townsend said. “But if something big-time happens, if it calls for a celebration, then sure.”
Townsend left Florida with a career average of 46.2 yards per punt that is best in SEC history. He averaged 47.5 yards per punt as a senior and led FBS
“He’s a great holder, great little athlete. I think he’s got a lot of intangibles to be one of the best punters in years to come.”
Reggie McKenzie, Raiders general manager, on punter Johnny Townsend
punters in gross average each of the past two seasons.
Before the draft, Townsend said, new Raiders specialteams coach Rich Bisaccia visited him in Gainesville and put him through a workout that “went great.”
Townsend said he also held on placekicks in college — a job King had in Oakland — but only for right-footed kickers. Giorgio Tavecchio, the Raiders’ kicker last season, is left-footed. However, after the draft Saturday, Eddy Pineiro, formerly Florida’s kicker and Townsend’s teammate, tweeted that he had signed with Oakland as an undrafted free agent, presumably as competition.
Although McKenzie was able to land his punter Saturday, another potential target slipped through. Kahlil McKenzie, the former Tennessee defensive tackle and Reggie’s son, was taken in the sixth round at No. 198 — by Kansas City, which traded up to get him.
“A lot going through my mind,” McKenzie said afterward. “Still, I’m proud of him. And I told him that.”
The Chiefs reportedly intend to convert Kahlil McKenzie to offensive guard. McKenzie said it’s a move the Raiders likely would’ve made had they drafted Kahlil. The GM also said he’d received a text from former Raiders safety Charles Woodson shortly after the Chiefs made the pick.
“He told me, ‘Your son has to retire. There’s no way he’s going to put that red helmet on his head,’ ” McKenzie said. “Part of me felt that way. But in all seriousness, it’s a good opportunity for him.”