Evan
Mcpherson.
Evan
Mcpherson.
Florida
"A three-year Florida kicker with a 51-of-60 career mark and a 17-of-17 senior year, ice in his run-up and real range from 50-plus — a rare Round-5 kicker projection built on accuracy, leg and playoff-caliber composure."Pre-draft read
He operates with a compact, quick-tempo approach, employing a two-step run-up, a square plant foot, and a level shoulder line through the ball. This consistent mechanics package produces a tight miss pattern, primarily pull-hooks rather than shanks. He generates substantial power on a shorter run-up, comfortably connecting from 55-plus yards with flight to spare, and his kickoff hangtime allows field position control.
His mechanics remain identical for short and long attempts, maintaining the same tempo and follow-through without pressure-influenced tells. On kickoffs, he is a touchback machine when desired, with the ability to place a mortar kick when not. His composure, evidenced by walk-off makes in crucial playoff games, is a demonstrable trait on tape.
Any special teams scheme prioritizing a powerful, accurate leg and disciplined mechanics for field goals and kickoffs.
Immediate starting placekicker and primary kickoff specialist due to his range and consistency.
No scheme where kicker value collapses; only a roster construction that does not prioritize a premium specialist.
McPherson's blend of power, accuracy, and composure makes him a high-value specialist capable of excelling in any NFL system.
Evan McPherson Game-Winning 52-Yard FG vs Titans (2021 Divisional Round)
Signature rookie kick: walk-off 52-yarder in Nashville to send Cincinnati to the AFC Championship.
McPherson Sends Bengals to Super Bowl LVI (vs Chiefs, AFC Championship)
Overtime game-winner in Kansas City to clinch the AFC title — the exclamation on his rookie-year playoff run.
Evan McPherson Is a Weapon | Cincinnati Bengals
Team-produced feature on his rookie season, kickoff leg and pre-kick routine.
He projects as a top-tier placekicker capable of providing a team with a reliable, long-range scoring threat and valuable kickoff field position. His consistent mechanics package and demonstrated leg strength on both field goals and kickoffs provide a foundational skill set for NFL success. A fifth-round investment was made due to this specific skill set rather than general athleticism, recognizing the immediate impact a high-end kicker can have.
He played three seasons at Florida, where he was consistently deployed as the primary kicker. During his final season, he was perfect on 17 attempts, including multiple long makes in competitive SEC road environments. Scouts noted a stable team operation in college, which was a factor in minimizing concerns about the transition to the professional level.
The primary concerns included the inherent positional value of drafting a kicker at pick 149 and the smaller sample size of three college seasons compared to other draft prospects. Evaluators also considered the potential for cold and windy weather conditions impacting accuracy, a common flag for kickers transitioning from a warm-weather college environment. Despite these flags, consensus boards identified him as the top pure kicker in the class, and he was ultimately selected by Cincinnati.
- 01
Accurate Volume Kicking
He shows 85% career accuracy on 60 attempts, with a 17-of-17 perfect senior year, indicating a strong NFL hit rate.
- 02
Long Range & Leg Strength
He connects from 55+ yards with flight to spare and his kickoff hangtime allows excellent field position control.
- 03
Consistent Kicking Mechanics
His compact, two-step run-up and square plant foot produce a tight miss pattern, primarily pull-hooks.
- 04
Demonstrated Composure
He exhibits composure on tape, with walk-off makes in crucial playoff games and consistent tempo.
- 05
Effective Kickoff Specialist
He is a touchback machine when desired and places mortar kicks for field position control.
- 01
Draft Capital Investment
Drafting a kicker at pick 149 is a significant investment for a position with inherent value questions.
- 02
Limited Sample Size
His three college seasons and 60 career attempts provide less evaluative data than other prospects.
- 03
Warm Weather Transition
His warm-weather college environment raises questions about performance in cold and windy NFL conditions.
- 04
Predictable Miss Pattern
His primary miss pattern is a pull-hook, which could be exploited under varying NFL hash and wind conditions.
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Florida | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Florida | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Florida | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | — | 37 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Drafted-then-traded Day-3 kicker who turned into a decade-long starter on a Super Bowl offense — the realistic ceiling for a Round-5 kicker with range and cold-weather adaptability.
Not a mechanical clone, but the same profile shape: high-volume college accuracy, plus leg, elite composure — the top-of-market kicker outcome McPherson's 2021 playoff run flirted with.
Serviceable NFL kicker with a long career of accurate mid-range work but real playoff-moment misses — a floor outcome where the leg and accuracy are real but the pressure kicks don't always fall.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Massive hit. All-Pro rookie season, iconic Super Bowl LVI run (5/5 postseason FGs including the game-tying vs Chiefs), All-Pro-tier career. Signed 3-year, $16.5M extension with Cincinnati in 2024 (top-of-market kicker deal). One of the best kickers in the NFL — historic Round-5 value.
Pre-draft context. McPherson arrived in Gainesville as a top-rated kicker recruit and started three years for Dan Mullen, finishing 51-of-60 on field goals (85%) with a perfect 17-of-17 senior season in 2020 that included makes from 55, 51 and multiple 40-plus in SEC road games. He was the consensus top pure kicker in the 2021 class, with league sources describing him as a plus leg on both placekicks and kickoffs, a clean two-step operation and a fearless in-game demeanor that earned the "Shooter" nickname. Kickers don't run traditional combine drills, and McPherson's pre-draft testing lived on pro-day kickoff hangtime and workout tape rather than combine splits — a normal profile shape for the position.
NFL fit — Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati was rebuilding around Joe Burrow's second year and had cycled through veteran kickers; spending pick 149 on a young leg with range and personality made sense as a five-year cost-controlled solution rather than a one-year vet plug. The fit was immediate and historic: as a rookie, McPherson hit 28-of-33 in the regular season, then went 14-of-14 in the postseason, including walk-off game-winners over the Raiders (Wild Card), Titans (Divisional) and Chiefs (AFC Championship) to send Cincinnati to Super Bowl LVI. Few Day-3 picks in any position have justified their slot faster.
Retrospective. The rookie postseason was a career-defining run, and McPherson stayed a legitimate starting-level NFL kicker in the seasons that followed, if not at that same historic ceiling — his mid-range accuracy has drifted in stretches, and 2023-24 included some visible misses that the 2021 tape didn't predict. Cincinnati re-signed him and he remains their kicker on a multi-year deal. Grading a kicker at 149 is always a positional-value question, but by outcome the pick has already paid off in playoff swing-value alone; the retrospective is comfortably a hit, with the ceiling scouts flirted with (Butker-plus, Tucker-lite) still theoretically in play if the accuracy stabilizes.