So You Drafted Penn State Punter/Kicker Jordan Stout

How He Got Here

Jordan Stout started his collegiate career at Virginia Tech, seeing light duty as he connected on all four extra point attempts but missed his lone field goal attempt. After one season, he departed for Penn State and had an immediate impact with his big leg. He stepped in as the kickoff specialist, and became the most dependable at the position in school history. Besides the rare outlier, Stout sent every kickoff clear out of the end zone, completely eliminating the opposition's return game. He also took on the deep field goal attempts, making two of three - including an program-best 57 yarder again that ended up playing a crucial role in the Nittany Lions 17-10 victory against Pitt.

He continued neutralizing some of the nation’s best kick returners during the next two seasons, but also took over punting duties. Stout regularly flipped the field, but dealt with the occasional shank, averaging 41.5 yards per punt on the season. He cleaned up his game to become one of the nation’s top punters in 2021. He added more to precision to his game, oftentimes placing the ball neatly within the 10-yard line and giving the Penn State defense a major boost. Stout averaged 46.0 yards per attempt on his way to becoming a finalist for the Ray Guy Award.

Stout handled triple-duty in 2021 by taking over placekicker duties as well. While Stout showed ability to connect deep, he lacked precision on shorter attempts. He finished 16 of 23, missing several down the stretch.

What You’re Getting

Stout will contribute immediately by all but guaranteeing a touchback on each kickoff attempt. He also has the potential to become a Pro Bowl punter during the course of his career. He has a booming leg that can flip the field with 60-75 yard punts when he has the room to work with. He also has the control to execute “coffin corner” punts, and the ability to get the ball neatly in play inside the 10, rarely misjudging and creating a touchback. Stout would be worth a late-round pick for any team in need of an upgrade at punter. If he doesn’t hear his name called during the draft, he’ll have a contract in place immediately following with a strong chance of being on an NFL roster during the 2022 season.