After leading the NFL in punting during his first full season in 2013, punter Marquette King followed that up with an equally impressive 2014 campaign.
The Fort Valley State product set single-season franchise records for punts (109) and yards (4,930), and people around the league took note as King was ranked No. 9 on Bleacher Report's list of Top 32 Punters.
According to Matt Miller, Bleacher Report's NFL Draft Lead Writer, punters around the league were evaluated on "punt placement accuracy (45 points) and punt power (50), plus five points for their value as starters or backups," and using these metrics King ranked ahead of veteran kickers such as Sam Koch, Jon Ryan and former Raider Shane Lechler.
King's booming leg is no secret around the league – his stats and a quick YouTube search make that plain to see, but his true value is his improvement in accurately harnessing that raw power.
In 2013, King placed 23 punts inside the 20-yard line, but in 2014, he saw a marked improvement in his accuracy and placed 31 punts inside the 20.
Maybe even more impressively, King dramatically dropped his touchback numbers from 11 in 2013 to just three last season.
The self-proclaimed President of KickSquad is a colorful character both on and off the field – his trademark pre-snap bounce has become a fan favorite for Raider Nation, but it's hard to argue with King's production.
"Marquette is an interesting character, that's a great way to put it," said special teams coordinator Brad Seely during the team's mandatory minicamp. "He's a young guy that really enjoys his job. He really enjoys kicking. He wants to get better at his craft, so it's been enjoyable coaching him and he's got a lot of raw talent. We've just got to make sure we harness that in the right way."
At just 26-years-old and entering his third season as the full-time punter for the Silver and Black, the Macon, GA. – native is just starting to scratch the surface of his potential, which is good news for both the Raiders coaching staff and fans alike.
