Tommy
Doman.
Tommy
Doman.
Florida· 6'4"· 214 lb
R7 · #239 · Buffalo Bills"A placement-and-hangtime directional punter in the Bradley Pinion mold: not the leg that wins a distance contest, but the operation, kickoff duty and net-flipping accuracy that keep a cold-weather team from ever thinking about the position again."Pre-draft read
Doman is a two-step, right-footed spiral punter, showcasing consistent leg talent and a composed drop. He delivers both distance and hangtime, capable of 55-yard punts with rugby-style rolls for placement or spirals with 4.6-second hangtime. Inside the 20, he excels at precision pooch punts from the plus-45. His operation time is 1.9-2.0 seconds, with no blocked punts in collegiate play. He also handles kickoffs, with 230 career kicks and a two-thirds touchback rate.
He possesses plus-average leg strength, prioritizing placement and hangtime over maximum raw distance. Windy conditions can cause his heavier balls to wobble slightly off the drop. He is a pure specialist, with no significant field goal experience beyond one extra point and no established emergency holding role.
This punter is an ideal fit for team-first special teams units that prioritize field position and hang time over raw distance, especially teams with a history of good gunners.
He'll be a Year 1 starter who can control field position and provide dual-duty value as a kickoff specialist, with the ceiling to be a consistently average punter for a decade.
He would be a poor fit for a spread-punt system that chases gross punt yardage, or teams in extreme windy environments that require a flat, penetrating trajectory.
A highly experienced and reliable specialist, Doman brings a mature, game-managing style of punting that emphasizes placement and hang time, making him an asset for any team that values field position and forces fair catches.
Tommy Doman Highlights - Michigan Football
Program reel of the national-title season: 60-plus-yard boomers, coffin-corner directional work and kickoff duty.
Tommy Doman - Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week
The September 2024 game that earned conference honors, with the hangtime and placement that defined his senior year.
Pat McAfee marvels at Tommy Doman's punt for Michigan
A punter's punter breaking down the leg talent and the drop, from the best possible source.
Doman projects as a reliable, directional punter who offers dual-duty value, having handled kickoffs throughout his career. Teams acquire him for his precision in pinning opponents deep in their territory and his ability to balance hangtime with distance, rather than for a booming leg that consistently achieves high gross averages. His 43.6 career yards per punt positions him as a high-floor, field-position weapon.
He emerged from a redshirt year to become a starter for a national championship program, handling all punting duties across multiple high-stakes games. His performance held up even when transferring to a new conference, where he posted his best statistical season despite consistently punting from challenging field positions due to his offense's struggles. He maintained a high volume of punts inside the 20 and few touchbacks across his starting seasons.
Evaluators noted that his career gross average did not reach the top tier of prospects, and he lacked experience in secondary roles like holding or field goals, which often makes late-round specialists more appealing. Despite these considerations, he was drafted in the seventh round at pick 239 by the Buffalo Bills, aligning with the market for a technically sound, pressure-tested specialist.
- 01
Inside 20 placement
Inside 20 placement — Consistent directional punter, placing 51 punts inside the 20-yard line with only 11 touchbacks.
- 02
Leg strength on demand
Leg strength on demand — Can deliver power when needed, with 34 career punts over 50 yards, including two 71-yard punts.
- 03
Hangtime focus
Hangtime focus — Prioritizes hangtime to allow coverage units to get downfield, giving his team an advantage.
- 04
Dual-duty specialist
Dual-duty specialist — Provides roster flexibility with 230 career kickoffs and a 66% touchback rate.
- 05
Operation time
Operation time — Operates cleanly and efficiently within 1.9-2.0 seconds, with no blocked punts in his college career.
- 01
Average gross yardage
Average gross yardage — Career average of 43.6 yards per punt is not among the top tier for the position.
- 02
Not a booming punter
Not a booming punter — Prioritizes placement and hangtime, which limits his top-end gross distance potential on punts.
- 03
Increased touchbacks
Increased touchbacks — His touchback percentage increased in his final season, which is a concern for field position.
- 04
Windy conditions concern
Windy conditions concern — His heavier balls can wobble off the drop in crosswinds, affecting consistency in varied environments.
| Yr | Team | G | FGM | FGA | FG% | XPM | XPA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Michigan | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 2 | — |
| 2023 | Michigan | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024 | Michigan | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025 | Florida | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Career | — | 43 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 2 | — |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Honors
- 2023 CFP National Champion (Michigan)
- Third-team All-Big Ten, coaches and media (2024)
- Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week (September 2024)
- Ray Guy Award watch list (2024, 2025)
- SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll (2025)
- Academic All-Big Ten (2022, 2023, 2024)
- No. 2 ranked punter nationally in the 2021 recruiting class (247Sports composite three-star)
- Three-time Big Ten champion with Michigan (2021, 2022, 2023)
The realistic outcome and the man he was drafted to replace: a steady 44-yard, net-positive punter who wins games with placement and can be trusted in December wind.
The ceiling: a strong-legged, directional college punter who becomes an All-Pro-level weapon in a cold-weather stadium and handles kickoffs too.
The floor: a decorated Michigan punter whose leg plays but who never separates himself in a camp battle and bounces around practice squads.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Buffalo spent pick 239 on wind. That is the honest framing of a seventh-round punter selection: the team plays half their games in a stadium where the ball behaves differently in December, and Doman is a player whose entire college resume is about controlling a punt rather than simply crushing it. He redshirted behind Brad Robbins, punted once in 2022, and then took over for Michigan's 2023 national championship run, where he handled all 15 games at 44.3 yards per punt with 18 inside the 20 and only two touchbacks.
Punters on great teams get judged on the wrong numbers - his gross average dropped to 42.6 in 2024 not because his leg got worse but because Michigan kept handing him plus-territory situations - so the number to watch is that he still put 16 inside the 20 and made third-team All-Big Ten from both the media and those involved in team operations. What separated him from the rest of this specialist class was the decision to spend a graduate year in the SEC. Replacing All-SEC punter Jeremy Crawshaw at Florida was a genuine risk, and he produced the best season of his career: 44.0 per punt, 12 punts of 50-plus, 17 inside the 20, another 71-yard long.
Florida's offense managed 0.138 PPA per play while the defense allowed 0.172, which is to say he punted from his own 25 all year against SEC coverage units and still won the field-position battle more often than his team deserved. The scouting file is not complicated. He is not a bomber - a 43.6 career average will never lead a league - and he has no secondary role, no field goals, nothing but the one job.
But he has a professional drop, a 4.6-second hangtime ball, 230 kickoffs of dual-duty value, zero blocks in four years and three Academic All-Big Ten selections that speak to a specialist who treats the craft seriously. Sam Martin is the comp and the incumbent. If Doman wins that camp, Buffalo has a decade-long answer at a position most teams gamble on annually.