Drew Stevens Makes Strong Case As NFL Draft's Most Valuable Kicker

Iowa kicker Drew Stevens is among the best specialists in the 2026 NFL Draft. The reliable placekicker even earned an invite to the NFL Combine earlier this pre-draft season. Only a handful of elite specialist prospects earn that honor, and Stevens was a priority for all 32 teams to have in Indianapolis.

Stevens recently spoke exclusively with NFL Draft On SI. Stevens discussed his experience at the NFL Combine, leaving a legacy behind at Iowa, balancing physical with mental traits as a kicker, and more.

NFL Draft Interview: Kicker Drew Stevens Drawing Significant Interest

JM: You leave Iowa having scored 352 career points, second-most in program history. You must feel good about the legacy you leave behind and the overall body of work.

Drew Stevens: The goal is always to be the best you can be. I’ve always believed that if I’m at my very best, that’s just as good, if not better than every other kicker. At the same time, a lot of that credit goes to the University of Iowa.

If you would have seen me as a freshman, there’s no way you would’ve taken me on your team (laughs). They took me in and built me up to be the best kicker I can possibly be. A lot of credit goes to the strength staff that actually built up my physical build.

Iowa is probably the best program when it comes to that. I wouldn’t be the kicker I am today without the University of Iowa.

JM: You’ve made terrific strides. Talk to me about balancing accuracy with leg strength? You're very accurate within 40 yards and you also have 12 career field goals from 50 yards or further.

Drew Stevens: I wasn’t always this big and physical enough to make those kicks from distance. Again, building that leg strength, the credit goes to Iowa’s strength and conditioning staff. I think I came in at 167 pounds. That was my first weigh-in at Iowa.

As I sit here in Iowa now, I’m 215 pounds. I put on a lot of good weight. My kicking coach always said I can put on as much weight as I’d like as long as I don’t get fat or slow (laughs). The weight gain was the easier part for me.

I was always a big-leg kicker, regardless of my weight. I was always classified in that big-leg kicker category. I’ve always been working on finding that accuracy component. Obviously you have a lot of wind and weather elements at Iowa.

The conditions make kicking at Iowa a more difficult task. I’ve always had the right attitude. As long as you’re mentally strong enough, it should make you better. You just have to keep repping it in those elements.

Sometimes, a kick doesn’t fly in the cold. It might fly further in warm weather. I have high aim. That makes me unique compared to most kickers. I think that made me a more accurate kicker.

JM: Building on that, what about balancing physical skills with mental traits? Kicking feels like a mental game more than anything sometimes.

Drew Stevens: In terms of balancing physical traits with mental ones, I honestly think the physical stuff comes easier. It’s definitely easier than the mental. The mental aspect, there’s so many different directions that can go in.

I credit my mental toughness to coach Levar Woods. He’s a special teams coach. He’s not a specialist coach. He didn’t specialize in kicking specifically. He understands schemes and coverage at a high level. I think he’s probably the best in the nation in that department.

I credit my mental toughness to Coach Woods. He was like my second dad. He was definitely my father figure at Iowa (laughs). If I had a bad day, he lifted me up. If I’m having a good day, he’ll make sure I don’t get too high on myself either (laughs).

He made me so much better from a mental standpoint. I could always get into more detail and offer specific examples, and I’ve been discussing those things with NFL teams.

JM: Having that mental toughness will take you a long way at the next level. You were one of few specialists invited to the NFL Combine. That’s a huge honor. What's that experience like for a kicker?

Drew Stevens: I loved being there with so many high-level prospects in this draft class. The other positional players, the relatability aspect of it, it was such a fun environment. It’s like putting a chemical engineer in a room with another chemical engineer. It was so much fun to be in their presence.

We talked a lot about football. We’re very passionate about what we’re doing. I think when you’re around so many likeminded individuals, you just understand each other. That made it a very fun environment to be in.

The conversations, how we get along, the relatability aspect, it was just a blast.

JM: Did you have any formal interviews at the NFL Combine? Do you have any upcoming visits or Zoom meetings?

Drew Stevens: I had three sit-down interviews with the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, and New York Jets. We had another day where us specialists sat at a table and that was more like speed dating [meetings]. Those were limited to like 10 minutes per team table. It’s just enough time for teams to get to know us a little bit. I did those quick meetings with all 32 teams.

I had a virtual meeting with the Green Bay Packers. That was a lot of fun. We went over film together. We had a blast going over the technical aspects of kicking together. The Packers invited me to attend their local pro day.

I had lunch with the New Orleans Saints after my pro day. The Tennessee Titans had a private workout scheduled with me. Their special teams coordinator [John “Bones” Fassel] was interested in overseeing my pro day drills. I had some contact with the Las Vegas Raiders as well. I’m expecting to schedule more meetings and workouts in the coming weeks.

JM: There’s a ton of interest in you and it’s easy to see why. We've appreciated your time today. What kind of kicker is Drew Stevens going to be at the next level?

Drew Stevens: I’m not a big fan of telling you. I’m more of a “lead by example” guy. I’m gonna show you. How about that?