Brad Craddock
There wasn’t a more interesting path to the NFL than that of Craddock. The former Maryland placekicker came all the way from Australia for a chance to make his NFL dreams come true. After a rocky start to his collegiate career, Craddock ended up only missing one field goal during his junior season. The tremendous campaign resulted in Craddock winning the Lou Groza Award over Tampa Bay Buccaneers second round pick Roberto Aguayo.
Having signed with the Browns, Craddock faces another uphill battle in the hopes of winning a roster spot. In his first year with the Browns in 2015, Travis Coons connected on 28-of-32 field goal attempts and made 22-of-24 extra point attempts. He beat out Casey Spear for the starting job in the preseason, but had a good amount of success after securing the position. Given that Coons doesn’t have a huge sample size, it would make sense that Cleveland would give Craddock every chance to win the job. If it doesn’t work out for Craddock with the Browns, a strong showing could get him noticed by another NFL team. The shelf life on kickers is so short and teams can give up on a struggling kicker at a moment’s notice.
Craddock has a very strong leg and has made significant strides with his accuracy since his freshman season. A strong preseason could do wonders for Craddock’s career even if it’s not with the Browns.
Next: Terp(s) in the Twin Cities