| PRO Green Bay Packers sign JK Scott, cut his competition

[Mark Inabinett | minabinett@al.com]

The Green Bay Packers announced they'd signed fifth-round draft pick JK Scott on Friday. The NFL team also announced it had released his competition.

The punter signed his four-year rookie contract as the Packers opened their three-day rookie minicamp on Friday. Scott joined Green Bay on Saturday as the 172nd player picked in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Released on Friday, Justin Vogel averaged 44.4 yards per punt for Green Bay last season, which ranked 24th in the NFL. The Packers gave up an average of 5.7 yards per punt return in 2017, the seventh-best figure in the league, which is where Green Bay finished in total punt-return yards yielded, too.

Scott will be the Packers' fourth punter in four seasons. Tim Masthay handled Green Bay's punting for six seasons, but he was replaced in 2016 by Jake Schum before Vogel got the job as an undrafted rookie from Miami (Fla.) in 2017.
At Alabama, Scott set school career records with 243 punts for 11,074 yards and a 45.6-yard average. After averaging 47.2 yards per punt in 2016, Scott's average dipped to 43.0 yards in 2017, when, he said, he put more emphasis on hang time.

Of Scott's 54 punts last season, six were returned for a total of 39 yards.

Green Bay Packers sign JK Scott, cut his competition

 

[JoshB]

Yeah, you dont spend a fifth rounder on a punter if you aren't pretty set on him.

 

[planomateo]

Hoping he has a long NFL career. Seems like a really good young man from everything I've read/heard about him. Wish him nothing but the best.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Beating out the competition that averaged 44 yd/ kick...
Better get that leg stronger...and kick away ]quicker....[/]

 

[JoshB]

Beating out the competition that averaged 44 yd/ kick...
Better get that leg stronger...and kick away ]quicker....[/]

Punting in the NFL is weird. I remember Daniel Pope (who remembers him from the 90s?) averaged like 43 yards per punt his rookie year and the Chiefs still cut him. Averaged 42 the next year, with the Jets I think, and they cut him and he never got another chance in the NFL.

 

[94 Grad]

It's more about hang time than distance. or rather, a combination of the two. Kicking a 54 yard punt is fine, if you can hang it up in the rafters long enough for the coverage team to get down field... otherwise it's not a good thing.

 

[planomateo]

He'll get to punt a bunch more.

Pretty cool that he's getting to play for the team he grew up following.

 

[No Huddle]

Dude is money. Captain Obvious out!

 

[utstnx]

Well....Justin Vogel got picked up immediately by the Browns so......at least he landed on his feet