The Cleveland Browns drafted former LSU kicker Cade York in the fourth round with the 124th overall pick on Saturday, the highest a kicker has gone in the NFL draft since 2016.
That year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Florida State's Roberto Aguayo in the second round.
The Browns will be hoping that drafting York will produce a far different result. Aguayo lasted only a season with the Bucs before being waived.
Cleveland has struggled at kicker in recent years, despite drafting Arizona State's Zane Gonzalez in the seventh round in 2017, then Oklahoma's Austin Seibert in the fifth round in 2019.
Last season, with Chase McLaughlin as the starter, the Browns converted only 72.7% of their field goal attempts, the worst mark in the NFL.
York, ESPN's top-rated kicker going into the draft, set an LSU record with 15 career field goals of 50-plus yards. In 2020, he nailed a school-record 57-yard field goal to defeat then-sixth-ranked Florida in the final seconds in the fog.
Browns director of player personnel Dan Saganey said the team was impressed with both York's "mental makeup" and "overall talent level."
"Looking forward to seeing him get a chance to kick in our stadium," Saganey said. "It's going to be fun."
