Green Bay Packers select Anders Carlson in 6th round of 2023 NFL Draft

Auburn Tigers kicker Anders Carlson was selected in the 6th round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.

If that name sounds familiar, it’s probably because Anders Carlson is the brother of Daniel Carlson. Daniel was an All-American kicker while at Auburn and is currently the Las Vegas Raiders kicker. On top of that, he’s Auburn’s all-time leader in field goals made and field goal percentage.

It’s a big shadow to be kicking from, but Anders Carlson did manage to finish second in all-time field goals made at Auburn with 79 and ninth in field goal percentage at 71.8%. He was an All-SEC kicker in 2020 and proved to be a consistent option for the Tigers over the course of five seasons. He finished with 410 career points. That’s the second most in program history, 70 points behind his brother.

A three-star recruit in the Class of 2017, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, Anders Carlson was the top ranked kicker and 1,204th player overall in his class.

Carlson served as a captain in games against Penn State and LSU. He also had ACL surgery during his time at Auburn.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Anders Carlson

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein broke down the star kicker and what he could possibly provide for an NFL Team. That begins by listing having a brother in the NFL as a strength. Having that legacy matters, giving someone for him to lean on and learn from as a young kicker trying to establish himself.

The other important thing about Anders Carlson is that he has proven to be a clutch kicker in the past. Staying calm in difficult, high-pressure situations matters and Carlson is more than capable of doing that. He proved it in 2019, making four key kicks in the Iron Bowl.

Unfortunately, despite his size, Carlson has struggled with his ability on kickoffs and long range field goal attempts. For his career, he was just 5 of 17 on field goals over 50 yards. He wasn’t much better from mid-range. So, that accuracy evades him, especially as he needs to put more leg into his kicks.

“Carlson has made kicks in big moments and appeared to be tracking in a good direction back in 2020,” Zierlein wrote.

“However, he has struggled to establish consistency on mid-range kicks and has been poor on kicks from 50 yards and beyond. He’s had too many kicks blocked during his career and doesn’t sport a booming leg on kickoffs.”