NFL to get kick out of the FCS

The Liberty University Football team plays James Madison University in the opening round of the NCAA FCS First Round Playoffs at James Madison's Bridgeforth Stadium on November 29, 2014. (Photo by Joel Coleman)

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(STATS) - It's a big year for place-kickers and punters hoping to jump from the FCS to the NFL.

Literally.

Gone are the days of the 5-foot-8, 160-pounders. The top prospects among the punters and place-kickers now have terrific size.

Although none may be drafted this week - very few are at those two positions - CBS Sports still gives seventh-round grades to Sam Houston State punter Lachlan Edwards, who stands 6-4, 209 pounds, and Liberty long-range place-kicker John Lunsford, who is 6-1, 214.

Delaware's Eric Enderson (6-2, 212), who made an early entry into the draft following his junior season, and North Dakota State's Ben LeCompte (5-10, 199), who earned STATS FCS First Team All-America honors as a senior, are other punters on the NFL radar.

"You've got guys that, like, run 4.2, 4.3 40s and then you've got guys as big as a barn, and you've got guys that throw the ball 60-plus yards," Lunsford said. "But then you put a ball in front of them to kick and they can't kick it three yards, 10 yards. Kickers are a special breed."

Numerous FCS players are expected to sign free-agent contracts if they go undrafted. That is generally the route for a kicker or punter.