Punter Colby Wadman Source: Wayne Tilock/Enterprise file photo*
Marquette King is out, so now the logical question to ask is; who's in?
The Oakland Raiders cut the former undrafted free agent Friday afternoon, ending his career in Silver and Black after five seasons as the team's punter and 80 career appearances, both punting and holding.
With King out of the mix, the Raiders now have a single punter on the roster, another undrafted free agent, Colby Wadman.
The 22-year-old punter is a local product, as he played collegiately at UC Davis, and while it's unlikely that the former Aggie will stay as the only punter on the roster for the foreseeable future, let's learn a little bit more about Mr. Wadman:
-Originally born in Bangor, Maine, Wadman played his high school football at Thousand Oaks High School where he graduated in 2013.
-Wadman did not record a touchback in 2013, and was selected as his team's special teams MVP both his junior and senior seasons.
-During his career at UC Davis, Wadman appeared in 45 games, averaging 41.0 yards per kick.
-His career long is a 66-yarder he booted against Montana State in 2016.
-Wadman has experience as a holder as well, he was UC Davis' primary holder on field goals and extra points during portions of his career as an Aggie.
-He signed with the Silver and Black on March 16, 2018.
Now, with all due respect to Wadman, it's likely that the Raiders will bring in another punter – whether that's in the draft or through free agency – to compete with the youngster for the right to handle the team's punting duties in 2018.
That's no shot at Wadman; the fact of the matter is that he hasn't played in a game in over a year, and he has no NFL experience under his belt.
So, in that spirit, let's take a look at the top five punters ranked in the 2018 class, according to WalterFootball.com.
*the below analysis is all via Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com
1. Michael Dickson – Texas
Dickson won the Ray Guy Award in 2017 as the best punter in the nation. He averaged 47.4 yards per punt on the year, recording a long of 76 yards.
2. Johnny Townsend – Florida
Townsend punted well during the 2017 season, averaging 47.5 yards per punt with a long of 70. In many drafts, Townsend would be the top punter, but a rare prospect like Michael Dickson makes Townsend to likely be the second punter selected.
3. J.K. Scott – Alabama
Scott averaged 43 yards per punt in 2017 with a long of 64.
4. Will Gleeson – Ole Miss
Gleeson's averaged 41.5 yards per punt with a long of 56. The Australian is an interesting punter as he uses both legs. One side is for shorter, pinning punts. The other is for long distance.
5. Shane Tripucka – Texas A&M
Tripucka averaged 45.5 yards per punt in 2017 with a long of 64 yards that he hit twice. It was his third solid season for the Aggies. He averaged 42.9 yards per punt in 2016 and 44 yards per punt in 2015.
While the Silver and Black's punting situation is likely going to be a fluid one over the next few months, what we do know, is that for the first time in several years, it's going to be a training camp battle to most certainly keep an eye on this summer.
