Instant Takeaways: Packers select Auburn Kicker Anders Carlson

The very rare kicker selection took place for the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL Draft. At pick 207th overall, the Packers picked Auburn’s Anders Carlson. Here are my instant takeaways from the selection and what you need to know.

– Kicker selections don’t happen often, but it was essentially a must for the Green Bay Packers. The only kicker on the roster before the draft took place was Parker White, who doesn’t have any attempts in the NFL. Although not said definitively by Brian Gutekunst, it doesn’t sound like Mason Crosby will be returning, in part due to the salary cap.

– Carlson is the first draft pick that the Packers have spent on a kicker since taking Mason Crosby in the sixth round 16 years ago. Anders’ brother is Daniel Carlson, who was a kicker for the Raiders when Rich Bisaccia was a coach there.

– Carlson tore his ACL during the 2021 season.

– Carlson has a big frame for a kicker, measuring in at 6’5” and weighing 215 pounds. His kickoff return rate was nothing to write home about, however, with opponents returning 42.2% of his attempts. This ranked 99th out of 146 eligible kickers.

– Although Crosby was still reliable inside 40 yards, where his age was showing was on field goal attempts over 50 yards and on kickoffs, which led to a high number of attempts and stressed the Packers kick coverage unit.

– As a field goal kicker, Carlson’s numbers are pretty underwhelming. He has a career rate of 71%. From 40 to 49 yards he made 25 of his 39 attempts (64%) and is just 4 of 16 from over 50 yards. There is obviously something that the Packers like about him, which is why they made this pick,  but the numbers don’t exactly illustrate what that is. Below Lance Zierlein of NFL.com mentions that he has made some big kicks in his career.

– One would think that the Packers will add at least one more kicker to the mix to compete over the summer. As they find themselves in the midst of a transition moving on to Jordan Love, they should use this season as an opportunity to find their next kicker, which as we’ve seen around the NFL, is no easy task.

– For a look at what Carlson can bring to the Packers, Zierlein wrote this in his pre-draft report:

"“Carlson has made kicks in big moments and appeared to be tracking in a good direction back in 2020. However, he has struggled to establish consistency on mid-range kicks and has been poor on kicks from 50 yards and beyond. He’s had too many kicks blocked during his career and doesn’t sport a booming leg on kickoffs.“"