Jake Moody selected by San Francisco 49ers in third round of 2023 NFL Draft
Michigan football kicker Jake Moody came off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft with the No. 99 overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers in the third round, starting the next chapter of his football career. At No. 99, he is the highest-drafted kicker since Florida State’s Roberto Aguayo in 2016, who went No. 59 overall (second round).
Moody is now just the fourth kicker to be taken in the first three rounds this century. Most draft pundits considered Moody the best kicking prospect in the draft, but a day-two selection was considered a stunner. The former Lou Groza Award winner now heads to one of the best teams in the NFC.
“He was splitting the uprights on a lot of kicks during his career,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper said. “This is a kid that can be a weapon, because I’ll tell you what, he’s got the ability — if you need a 60-plus, I think he can maybe do it, because he’s shown he can make the 59-yarder.”
Mike Greenberg said: “He is clutch. If you watched Michigan play, Jim Harbaugh coached like he knew if he needed a big kick late, he was going to get it from that young man.”
Moody was 69-84 (82.1%) on field goals and went 148-148 on extra points during his time in Ann Arbor.
“Moody has just two seasons as a full-time kicker but he was a consistent performer who could pull the team to wins when the offense sputtered,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote. “He’s very reliable on kicks shorter than 40 yards but has been less consistent from longer distances. He’s capable on kickoffs and strikes the ball with consistency, so he should get a shot a chance to compete for a roster spot in camp.”
Moody was invited to the 2023 NFL Combine and impressed at U-M’s pro day, going 12-for-13 with a made 63-yarder. His one miss was from 59 yards out.
“Good day. Good day at the office,” Moody said with a laugh.
“At the combine, the farthest we went was 55 [yards]. But I wanted to show that I could go a little bit farther than that, so the farthest I went to was 63 [at pro day]. That was cool to make that and just show that the capability to make longer than just a 55. That was good to show that, but also hit a bunch of other kicks just to show it’s not just the long distance kicks. I have the capability to make any kick from anywhere.”
Now, he will not just compete for a spot in camp. He will likely be the opening day starter for the San Francisco 49ers in 2023, and potentially for years to come.
The 2023 NFL Draft is set to take place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Round 1 of the NFL Draft took place on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 went on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft will be broadcast throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.
