The Vikings have turned to a rookie kicker. Will Reichard's Alabama training was a solid start

Published Jul. 31, 2024 6:00 p.m. ET

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EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Will Reichard left Alabama with more points than any other player in college football history, presenting the Minnesota Vikings a draft-worthy prospect in their ongoing quest for place kicking stability.

The NCAA career scoring record looks good on the resume, sure. Reichard's combination of mechanical consistency and leg strength is a clear attribute. He exudes as much confidence as level-headedness.

Five seasons with the Crimson Tide, though, is what ultimately pushed Reichard's profile over the top. There's hardly a more critical aspect of NFL success for a kicker than handling the pressure, and what better place to train than a storied powerhouse program such as Alabama?

“I think it still remains to be seen obviously, with not having a season yet, but I do feel confident that playing at a place like that definitely prepared me better than other places,” Reichard said. “I'm not trying to talk bad on small schools, but I’m hoping that it will at least.”

The Vikings drafted Reichard in the sixth round with the 203rd overall selection and officially made the job his earlier this week when a need for defensive back depth prompted them to waive John Parker Romo, who showed promise in the XFL but has not kicked in a regular-season NFL game.

“I think Will’s ready,” coach Kevin O'Connell said.

Six years ago, the Vikings used a fifth-round draft pick on Daniel Carlson out of Auburn and plugged him into a contending team coming off an NFC championship game appearance. After veteran Kai Forbath was released to secure the job, Carlson missed two 42-yard field goals in a preseason game to test then-coach Mike Zimmer's patience.

Carlson then missed three field goals in a regular-season game three weeks later at rival Green Bay, including two in overtime that forced the Vikings to settle for a tie and prompted them to cut him the following day with his confidence clearly shaken. Carlson was an All-Pro in 2022 with Las Vegas.

The kicking fails for this franchise long predated Carlson. Gary Anderson going wide left for his first miss of the 1998 season, late in an NFC championship game the heavily favored Vikings lost at home. Doug Brien missing two extra points and a field goal at home in the Metrodome in a 2002 overtime loss. Blair Walsh's 27-yard miss in a two-point loss in the 2015 playoffs.

Reichard started kicking in third grade while growing up in Hoover, Alabama, where he received a hometown hero award and the symbolic key to the city after setting the scoring record for the Crimson Tide with 547 points on 84 field goals and 294 extra points from 2019-23. He became a team leader, not just a specialist, along the way. He made two 50-plus-yard field goals in the College Football Playoff semifinal game against Michigan and finished with make rates of 83.2% on field goals and 99.3% on extra points for his career.

“He’s steady Eddie. He’s a guy that really maintains a good neutral mindset. You truly never know when he’s in a good mood or when he’s in a bad mood,” Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels said. “He has expectations and high standards for himself, and that’s really what we appreciate.”

Walsh was another draft pick from an SEC school, a sixth-rounder in 2012 out of Georgia who started strong but, like Carlson, lost his confidence and form following some costly misses. After Forbath, Carlson, Dan Bailey and Greg Joseph, the Vikings have now turned to a player in Reichard who kicked for a demanding coach in Nick Saban in college and a team with annual championship expectations.

“A lot of kicking is mental. Just the hard work and your mindset, a lot of that kind of goes into it, and I think how people are wired too," Reichard said. "Some people are able to, some people aren’t.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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