The Baltimore Ravens selected punter Jordan Stout with pick No. 130 in the fourth round.
Here are five things to know about Stout:
Stout was the first punter off the board, ahead of 'Punt God'
The Ravens made Stout the first punter drafted in 2022 and he's the earliest punter drafted since Bryan Anger (70th overall) in 2012 by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Baltimore took Stout ahead of San Diego State's Matt Araiza, who had gotten the nickname "Punt God." While Araiza has a huge leg, Stout had better hangtime and brings versatility.
Stout can also boom the ball and led the nation in average hangtime last year (4.36 seconds). He also had the highest overall grade from Pro Football Focus at 93.1.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Georgia punter Jake Camarda three picks later. Stout and Camarda have been training together.
"I did have a good idea that I was going to be a Raven and I'm excited about it," Stout said. "I know special teams are always very successful with the Ravens."
This could mean the end of the road for Sam Koch
No Raven has played in more games than Koch, a sixth-round pick in Baltimore in 2006. He has suited up for a team-record 256 games.
Koch is 39 years old and has the third-highest salary cap figure in the NFL at $3.1 million. The Ravens could save $2.1 million by parting ways with the highly respected veteran.
"He's a very talented player with a lot of different punts," Stout said. "I'm really excited to come and compete with him. He's a great player I've been watching."
He had a phenomenal final season
Stout was named the Big Ten punter of the year, the first in Penn State history.
Stout set school records for single-season punting average (46.55 yards this season) and career average (44.81).
Stout averaged 50 yards or better in five games, and 25 of his 62 punts went 50 yards or longer. He landed 34 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line, including six each against Illinois and Rutgers.
Stout comes with versatility
Stout also handled all kickoff duties at Penn State, which could take some of the workload off Justin Tucker's leg.
He also has the longest field goal in Penn State history, a 57-yarder at the end of the first half against Pittsburgh. He drilled a 71-yarder with no rush off a tee, showing a Tucker-esque live leg.
He's proud of his holding
Part of what has made Koch so good, beyond his punting and leadership, is his holding. The Ravens haven't been shy about saying Koch is the best holder in NFL history.
That has helped Justin Tucker become an All-Pro kicker, something Tucker attributes regularly.
Though Stout did a lot of kicking, he said he's always practiced his holding as well.
"I pride myself on my holding," Stout said. "Ever since I started punting/kicking my sophomore year of high school, I've been holding. I'm really good at it. I think that's one of the best parts of my game, if not the best."
