We finalize my top Specialists scouted for the 2021 NFL Draft today with Tyson Dyer out of New Mexico. Prior to his career at New Mexico, Dyer was a mechanic in his native Australia, and then he met an American girl and followed her to the US. Who doesn’t love a good love story? Afterwards, in regards to football, he went the JUCO route. He played Australian Rules Football as a kid growing up, starting when he was 5 years old. Dyer was a team captain in 2020 for New Mexico, but he is also going to be 29 years old in 2021, so he is an older prospect. To scout Dyer, I watched the following film: vs. Nevada (2020), at SJSU (2019), and at Hawaii (2020).
Pros:
Dyer is more of an accurate Punter than one with pure power. He has a smooth and natural punting motion that is a bit more traditional than most other Australians. He gets the ball off his foot in an average amount of time, but his 5 seconds (on average) of hang time really helps out his gunners, as they don’t have to face many returns. He does a great job of kicking out of the pocket and utilizing all of his blockers, and he also has the ability to put different spins on the ball based on the scenario he is in. Dyer also does a great job of pinning his opponents deep and not giving up too many touchbacks.
Cons:
Dyer doesn’t have the best yards per punt average, but he still can flip the field for his team. The biggest weakness I have for Dyer is his age. He is a mature prospect, but his production has dropped each year of his collegiate career, so that may be something to worry about. Although he has a good punting motion, he does tend to take a longer time getting the ball off his foot, so it would be nice to see if he could try and get the ball out in two steps rather than three.
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is that Tyson Dyer is a solid prospect who can pin his opponents deep in their own end, though as long as he is not deep in his own end. He has solid power, and he has better accuracy and great loft on his punts. Some teams will be wary about his age and his production drop-off this past season, but I think he can still be a solid weapon for any team in the market for a new Punter.
Prospect Grade: 6.5 – NFL Starter
