Camaron
Cheeseman.
Camaron
Cheeseman.
Michigan
"A four-year Michigan long snapper with a big-frame operation, sub-0.75 punt snaps and clean field-goal spirals — the rare specialist teams would actually spend a late Day 3 pick on to solve special-teams for a decade."Pre-draft read
This specialist excels as both a punt and field-goal snapper, possessing ideal length and coverage speed for a lane player. His standout punt operation features a compact stroke, delivering a tight, repeatable spiral directly to the punter's hip. His optimal time-to-punt consistently shaves crucial fractions off the coverage clock, significantly aiding the unit.
For field goals, he delivers a laces-oriented snap with spin for clean spots in all conditions. Post-snap, he pops up with good pad level, maintaining inside hand placement against interior rushes, and mirrors A-gap threats effectively. In punt coverage, he uses his frame to fight off double teams, squeezing the returner sideline-ward.
Cheeseman's play style fits best with NFL special teams units that prioritize exceptional punt and field goal operation mechanics.
Immediate starter as a long snapper for punt and field goal units, with a ceiling as a decade-long specialist who stabilizes the position.
No scheme where his value collapses; his role is not scheme-dependent.
His high-level consistency and frame provide immediate value to any special teams unit seeking to remove doubt from the long snapper position.
Camaron Cheeseman | Michigan Long Snapper
Michigan operation reel — punt snap velocity, field-goal spirals and post-snap protection reps across multiple stadiums.
Camaron Cheeseman Recruiting Film
Earlier operation film showing the mechanical foundation of his stroke and the frame that projected into a scholarship LS role.
Podcast with NFL LS Camaron Cheeseman
Long-form interview with the specialist discussing operation mechanics, the draft process and life in an NFL special-teams room.
This long snapper projects as a decade-long specialist, offering teams a solution for the position that removes an entire depth-chart question. His evaluation is almost entirely based on operation film, showcasing consistent mid-0.7-second punt snap times and field-goal spirals with laces-out placement, leading to years of clean spots without visible hitches.
He arrived at Michigan as a scholarship long snapper and started for four seasons, handling both punt and field-goal duties in visible operations within Big Ten stadiums and bowl environments. Evaluators noted his frame, mechanical repeatability across various conditions, and his willingness as a specialist to get downfield in coverage, providing functional plays on scouted film.
Consensus opinion placed him as a late Day 3 prospect. While long snappers often go undrafted, the small pool of teams valuing a long-term solution at the position can push certain specialists up the board. He was one of the few long snappers in his class considered worth a draft pick rather than a priority free agent slot.
- 01
Snap velocity
Punt operation arrives with significant pace, measurably reducing total time-to-punt and giving the coverage unit a head start downfield.
- 02
Spiral and placement
Field-goal snaps consistently land laces-oriented for the holder, ensuring clean spots and stable holds for successful kicks.
- 03
Big-program consistency
A multi-year starter for Michigan, he demonstrated no visible hitch in mechanics under crowd noise or hostile road game conditions.
- 04
Frame and coverage traits
His long-limbed body projects to gunner-adjacent coverage lanes, allowing him to fight off double-team blocks and squeeze returners.
- 05
Post-snap protection
He recovers quickly from the stroke, mirrors interior rushers, and effectively uses his hands to stall A-gap pressure.
- 01
Positional ceiling
Long snapping is a singular role with no upside beyond the position itself, limiting impact compared to other drafted players.
- 02
Roster-math cost
Spending a draft pick on a specialist dedicates a rookie contract and 53-man roster spot to a role often filled by undrafted free agents, tightening margin for error.
- 03
Limited pull-block leverage
He struggles to win reps against elite dedicated rushers on heavy return calls, as his frame allows pressure to leak against straight-block schemes.
- 04
No testing baseline
The absence of Combine participation or standardized pro day splits means evaluators rely solely on operation film without athletic index data.
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Michigan | 13 |
| 2018 | Michigan | 13 |
| 2019 | Michigan | 13 |
| Career | — | 39 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Prototype specialist who held one job for the same franchise across a very long run — the realistic ceiling for a well-drafted long snapper who never has to be replaced.
Long-tenured pro-bowl-level long snapper whose combination of snap velocity, protection and coverage traits made him a fixture on multiple special-teams units for more than a decade.
Steady, roster-safe long snapper who solves the position quietly without ever generating headlines — the median outcome for a good draft-day LS.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Cheeseman arrived at Michigan as a scholarship long snapper and started for four seasons in one of the most visible operations in college football, handling both punt and field-goal duties across Big Ten stadiums, road environments and bowl games. Long snappers are not invited to the NFL Combine and are evaluated almost exclusively on operation film: punt snap times in the mid-0.7-second range, laces-oriented field-goal spirals and years of clean spots without a visible hitch. The board consensus was late Day 3, the same slot the small handful of specialist evaluators have historically used on the very best available snapper — a solve-the-position bet on frame, velocity and rep count.
NFL fit — Washington. Washington took Cheeseman in the sixth round to replace veteran Nick Sundberg and locked him into the LS job as a rookie. He stepped into every game as the primary snapper, worked in front of veteran punters and kickers and delivered the mid-0.7-second punt snaps and repeatable field-goal spirals that made him a draftable prospect in the first place, adding functional coverage snaps as a long-limbed body in the core-four units.
Retrospective. Cheeseman has since become one of the more anonymous but effective specialists in the league — a multi-year starter who has never missed a game because of operation issues and has been kept through multiple coaching-staff changes in Washington. The pick grades out as a hit at the archetype's realistic ceiling: a rookie contract that solved a decade-long positional question, coverage utility on the units and the kind of every-week reliability that is the actual point of drafting a long snapper. The role-player tier is the correct label; long snappers do not climb higher because the position does not allow it, but Washington got exactly what the scouting file promised.