Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis agrees to UDFA deal with Carolina Panthers

Even though his name was not called in the 2024 NFL Draft, former Missouri star kicker Harrison Mevis has found a new home in the National Football League. Shortly after the draft ended on Saturday evening, Mevis signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Carolina Panthers.

The 6-foot, 241-pounder has a distinct size to him that you rarely see in kickers. And he has a lot of power to go with that impressive size, as you might imagine. Mevis firmly cemented his status as one of the best kickers in Missouri football history during his time there. He earned second team All-SEC honors in 2023 after connecting on a league-best 24 field goal attempts this fall.

He drilled 24-of-30 attempts his senior year, ranking second overall in the SEC in scoring (117 points). Mevis also broke Missouri’s all-time scoring record on Nov. 4th, when he scored seven points against Georgia, shattering Jeff Wolfert’s program record of 362. The Indiana native also owns the Missouri school record for all-time field goals (86), ranking him third all-time in SEC history.

His clutch kicks this year were crucial in propelling the Tigers to one of the most successful seasons in program history. Missouri finished with a 11-2 overall record, including an impressive win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Once the dust had settled, they finished No. 9 in the final College Football Playoff Rankings.

Mevis’ impressive length showed up often in games, as he owns the school record for the most 50-plus yard field goals.

The highlight of his career came this year against No. 15 Kansas State on Sept. 16th, when he booted a game-winning 61-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Tigers to a 30-27 victory. That kick shattered the SEC record for the longest field goal in the conference’s history. Mevis connected on a game-winner against the Florida Gators on Nov. 18th. That one was a 30-yarder to lift the Tigers to a 33-31 win.

He drilled 45 of his 46 extra point attempts his senior year, finishing with 147 of 148 for his career.

In 2022 as a junior, Mevis finished 22 of 28 on field goal attempts, including a perfect 33 of 33 on extra points.

His sophomore year in 2021, he earned SEC Player of the Week honors twice, finishing 23 of 25 (92%) on field goal attempts. It marked the best field goal percentage of his college career. He was also perfect on his extra points, drilling 41 of 41 PATs. Mevis connected on three field goals in four different games, including in each of the final three contests. The impressive sophomore campaign landed him first team All-American honors.

It didn’t take him long at all to burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2020, when he became just one of four kickers in school history to hit three 50-plus yard field goals (Whelihan, Jacke, McCann).

Mevis connected on 17 of his 20 field goal attempts that year. He also set the single-game scoring record for a Missouri kicker with 20 points (five field goals and five PATs) against Arkansas on December 5th. He managed to drill a 50-yard field goal as a freshman against Tennessee on October 3rd, making him the first freshman since 1988 to hit one of 50 or more yards.

Mevis attended Warsaw Community High School (Warsaw, Indiana) where he was one of the most highly rated players at his position in the country. He was named an Under Armour All-American. According to the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2020 cycle, Mevis was ranked as a three-star and the No. 8 kicker prospect in America.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Harrison Mevis

NFL.com’s expert Lance Zierlein projected Mevis to be a priority free agent in the 2024 NFL Draft. While he said his scouting profile has plenty of positives, he feels like it’ll be difficult for him to stick in the National Football League.

“Mevis was one of the hottest kickers in college football in the 2021 season but has failed to reach those accuracy standards since that time. While he holds the SEC record for longest field goal make at 61 yards, his stroke and ball flight are inconsistent from distance,” Zierlein wrote in his report.

He connected on just 83.9 percent of his field goals from less than 40 yards over the last two years, which is a bit below the preferred mark for the NFL.

“Mevis has solid accuracy over the course of his career but is below the preferred 90 percent mark on kicks under 40 yards over the last couple of years. He might not be a reliable kickoff option, which — paired with his average 2023 season — might make it tough for him to find an NFL home,” Zierlein finished.