New England Patriots Rookie Profile: Justin Rohrwasser

Position: Kicker
Age: 23
Hometown: Clifton Park, NY
College: Marshall

Measurables

Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 234 pounds
Arms: 32 1/8 inches
Hands: 8 7/8 inches

Combine Results

Justin Rohrwasser was unknown to all analysts until his name was called in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. In fact, when he was drafted, there was no film on him to show on the ESPN telecast.

Early indications say it could be the right move by the New England Patriots to select Rohrwasser, as he has quite a leg. He went 2-for-2 on kicks above 50 yards last year, which shows in a small sample size he can be accurate from a distance. Along with that, Rohrwasser kicked with 86% accuracy on field goals last season. That percentage is better than what we saw from the top prospects heading into the draft (ie Tyler Bass and Rodrigo Blankenship). However, that higher percentage came from an overall smaller sample size of kicks compared to the other two.

Sample size and a failure to compete in the Combine could have had an impact on Rohrwasser's ability to make his name known more during the draft process. The lack of exposure he had can hardly be denied.

"He's got a good leg, kicks the ball straight, has good hang time on the kickoffs, gets it up on the field goals. We'll see how all that goes now in a little different environment here. But I think there's a lot to like with him. He did well at both URI and at Marshall." Bill Belichick said after the draft when talking about Rohrwasser's college career.

But what makes Rohrwasser different then his peers was his ability to kick in poor conditions. Players like Blankenship had the benefit of kicking in warm weather and clear conditions for most of his career down in Georgia. However, while Rohrwasser did get some of that as well during his time at Marshall, he also had to kick in cold, rainy, windy weather, which is similar to what he will experience during his time in New England. That proved vital in the evaluation process for the Patriots, and is ultimately why they selected Rohrwasser over the other kicker prospects.

The Patriots scouting department is always very thorough, and they had to be in order to find a long-term replacement for the recently released Stephen Gostkowski. While it is unclear if any other kicker will be signed to push Rohrwasser and compete with him for the starting job this summer, look for Rohrwasser to be the Week 1 starter for field goal duties and possibly kickoffs next season.