Welcome to another edition of the Official Jets podcast, the Draft Pick Profile series. Wrapping up here Ethan Greenberg Eric Allen breaking down the jets sixth round pick. That's punter Brandon Man out of Texas A and M. And on this podcast, you're gonna hear from Joe Douglas and his staff on why they like Bradon Man. You're gonna hear from Braden Man himself. He caught up with Olivia Landis
right after he was drafted and Ea. The Jets originally had two six round picks heading into the draft, and with their first and there what became their only six round pick, they elect to help out brandpoor your special teams unit with Bradon Man. Yeah, you know what, Lachlan
Edwards last year was solid. He didn't approve his hang time from his previous two seasons and had a few twenty yard net kicks is are Randy Lang pointed out, But you look at the numbers forty five point nine yard gross, which is fourteen in the Nation Football League, at forty one point six yard net, which was twelve in the National Football League, and Edwards actually had the second but inside twenty two touchback ratio in franchise history nine point three to one. So I'm throwing all these
superlatives out about Lochlan Edwards. With that being said, I think obviously says he entered the spring as a free agent and the Jets thought they could upgrade the position. This is not a knock on Edwards to me. It speaks to just how highly they thought of Brandon Man. And when you look at what he did at Texas A and M over the course of four seasons, predominantly the last two because he was planning the last two seasons, this kid was the top pointer in all of college football.
And after he was drafted, a lot of the pundits, whether it was Daniel Jeremiah or Mel Kuiper ever, all thought that he had Pro Bowl or all Pro capabilities in his first couple of seasons entering the NFL. And I just want to hit this real quick before we hear from Joe Douglas and his staff. You mentioned that
Brandon Man was punting the last two seasons. Well, what does that mean he was doing his first two seasons at A and M. Well, he was the kickoff specialist there because the Aggies had a very good punter in place when he arrived to College station. And we'll talk about Brandon Man's career at A and M right after we hear from Joe Douglas and his staff on what
they like about Brandon Man. Yeah, another another guy, highly productive Ray Guy Ward winner and um, a guy that Brandt was really excited about when when when we were going over the special teams guy. That was a guy that Coach Boy stood on the table for it and it was an opportunity when we were able to acquire the extra picks that we required to say, Okay, this is a guy that can come here and come in here at this point in the draft and really help us and possibly can need to be a starter, you
know at that punter spot. So another young man that is a high character guy and it's going to be a really good fit in the building. Brandon uh with the tremendous leg strength and was the Rey Guy Award winner, which is obviously the highest highest award that you can receive as a putterer in college football. The guy's got ability to directional kick and to hit deep balls, which is going to flip the field for us. So in terms of moving on for him and having him under
contract for the next four years. Will will be good and significance for our special teams, especially for Brant Well. He's another player who you know, obviously there was some conviction on between coaching and scouting and Brant Bowyer and Jeff Hammersmith had looked at him and thought he was the top or in this class. And you know, one thing about him, he's not your classics six ft four fifteen pound potter. You know, he's shorter in stature, but
he's got a real strong leg. Obviously, Ineen, he had a tremendous year where he was the Ray Guy Award winner. But he's somebody that we think can flip the field and obviously, with the hang time and the ability of some of our cover people, hopefully we can start winning some of the field position battles that will be you know,
really important this coming season in the future. And you know, as we looked at our board, there was some interesting prospects still available, but most we felt like we're a year or two away, would be somewhat buried on the depth chart as they try to fight their way to a starting spot or even a serviceable backup. And with brad Man just seem like it represented really good value for us. He a Bradon man. His first year punting came on the scene hot he won the Ray Guy Award,
which goes to the nation's top punter. It was his first year starting. He was a unanimous All American and he said the n c a a record with fifty one yard per punt, and he put nineteen of his fifty punts inside the twenty yard line, eleven fair catches he forced. So he's really not only does he have a leg that can boom the ball, but he's a precision kicker as well or punter should I say as well, Well, you can say kicker because this is such an accomplished player.
He was one of the top players coming out of high school from a kicking perspective. I think he was the number two kicking recruit in the country before going to Texas A and M. But you mentioned that two thousand and eighteen year where he won the Ray Guy Award against Alabama. He sat down CIA records an average sixty point eight yards per point and also he had fourteen points of sixty plus yards in two thousand and eighteen, and all what happened last year uh, not too bad.
A second team, a p All American First team All SEC performer, averaging forty seven point one yards per point, which ranked in the top five nationally. And he also plays the He also plays twenty six of fifty seven points inside the twenty and speaking about his position of precision, he had only four touchbacks. So this is a guy who had a big leg and he also excelled in terms of placement. And that's what you have to do
in order to be outstanding at the punting position. And this guy, uh, he did it consistently at Texas, say and him. You know, I know all eyes will be on the top of this traff class with McKay, Beckton and Denzel Mims, and rightfully so, or perhaps understandably so. But Brandon Man might have the best chance to be a high impact player at his position across the league from day one. And we talked about his twenty eight
teen season, the Ray Guy Award winning season. Only one player has averaged more than fifty one yards per punt, and that's fellow Aggie and former NFL punter Shane Leckler, who had a decorated NFL career. So Brandon Man, I think there's a lot to be excited about if you're a Jets fan, And I just want to clear up this common misconception about punting. It's so much more than just about how far you can kick the ball. Because if you're a punter and you can kick at sixty yards,
that's great. But what if you have no hang time and it doesn't allow your special teams guys to cover properly, and then the return urs average I don't know, ten to fifteen yards per return against you. That doesn't do you any good. What's so great about Brandon Man is that he can kick it, and he can kick it high. And with the gunners that the Jets are probably gonna line up, whether that's somebody like Vincent Smith or Trent and Cannon if they were to line up tomorrow, those
guys can fly. So the Jets punting coverage unit might be might very well be one of the best in the NFL next season. Listen, over the less two seasons, you would put the Jets special teams up against anybody in the National Football League at brand blowy Er is a fantastic coordinator. With that being said, what happens on special teams all the time is you're continually juggling your lineups because it's not like a number one running back or number one receiver that you know who's going to
be there for a long time. What you're doing is you're relying on depth players to become your fixtures in a short amount of time. But when you get a punter like a man and you invest a six round picking him, you're hoping that's a position that will stick for a number of years. And that's what kind of potential he certainly does have. And the Jets, again we
always think in terms of offense and defense. Well, you can make the argument that Joe Douglas certainly improved his special teams units, not just in free agency, but especially in the draft. To go back to Ashton Davis, you think about Lea, Michael p Ryan, and then in the sixth round, uh, you add the punter and man. Again, no knock on Lockland Edwards here. I think he's gonna be punting in the National Football League next year. And
he was a good person inside the locker room. The Jets just thought, hey, we have a grade on this guy, and this is great value at this point. And Bill Parcels always used to talk about hidden yardage. Well, special teams. We don't talk about special teams enough, and that can get you over the hump. Remember the Jets finished seven and nine last year after starting one and seven, so
they went six and two in the seasons. Uh second half. Well, if you get a couple more games, and special teams plays a prominent role in those with Paul games, you're gonna be playing into January as a playoff team. Yeah. I think that something that I like about this pick, not only because I'm excited about it, but this was a guy that Joe Douglas told U E A that brand Boyer stood on the table for Bradman. So Brandt Boyer is clearly excited about adding Man to his special
teams unit. And let's hear from Brandon Man himself, who caught up with Olivia Landis after he was drafted. Brandon, you spent your collegiate career at Texas A and M, and it actually took you until your third season to earn that starting job. How much patience did you accumulating during that time and what else did you learn having to sit back before starting. I think it was a little bit of patience and a lot of competitiveness for sure. I knew that going in I wasn't gonna just earn
just get the starting job right away. I had to earn it um, and so I competed against Shane who was our party at the time, who's great, a good friend of mine. So UM. I think that competing against him um with a lot of fun. I think that was definitely that helped me in my junior and senior year once I finally got in starting job that was constantly competing and constantly being put pressure on. So I think that helped me a little bit to handle with
my junior and senior year. UM. But it wasn't really about just waiting to see when I would start. It was, you know, I thought I was gonna come in earn as best I could my freshman year and just didn't work out until my junior year. So what in your skill set did you have to hone in on during that time. I think for me it was situational punning. Um. Coming out of high school, I pretty much just knew how to hit a spiral um, which is just typical
one you hit. But it's the little things. It's the inside, the fifty or inside the landing inside of twenty yard Constil wanted to spend backwards all types of little stuff and that something that Shoan is really good at. So I think that's why my first two years is a great learning opportunity to learn from him a little bit um and then kind of put my own little twist on it in some ways. So I think situationally, um, college is waiting from high school in the same sense
the NFL is waiting from college. I think that's definitely something gonna have to keep working at once I get to New York. You know, it sounds like you developed a lot then over those few years. As a matter of fact, you earned all SEC honors, you are, earned Associated Press, all American honors, and then of course won the Ray Guy Winner. Of course that goes to the nation's top punters. So when you think about all of those accolades, what exactly do you take away from those honors.
I think I had a great team surrounding me, for sure. I think that's number one. Um. You know, it's not an individual sports loving people and field of time. So I think that the team around me definitely helped with all those Um, it was definitely not just me. It was my you snapper with my cover guys, and I think that just being able to play with those guys, um, really just allowed me to have the opportunity to, um, you know, kind of showcase a little bit and and
help them as well. You know, you know they're helping me, and so I would help them as much as I can't help our defense. So I think it wasn't so much about the self accolades as it was that was that was a team thing that year for sure. Well along with Puny. I was looking up some of your stats and it said that in twenty nineteen you had seven open field tackles, which is above average for a hunter. How much do you pride yourself on that ability? On the ability? I like to think that I can tackle.
You know. It's say a lot of people think that the kicking games is a ten man play because the kickers not expect to make a tackle, But I think that's an eleven man play. So um, obviously, if I do my job well enough, I shouldn't have to be able to make it. Taxles someone us I wish I had back for sure, Um, But you know, if I got to get in there, I'm moren't happy to do so. I used to pull on backer, so it's kind of in my nature a little bit looking forward to seeing
some of those tackles. But besides the tackling and the punching, what else do you bring to the kickoff value of the game? Well, I started the kickoffs for four years A and M. I started for twice as long as I started punning. So, UM, I think that I'm just gonna come in and do whatever they need me to do. I'm more than happy to kickoffs. I would love to, you know, if theyiled me to come in and do that and take a little pressure of the field kicker,
I'd love to do that. Anything that I can contribute would be amazing. Special teams coordinator Brandt Boyer has had one of the best ranked special teams in the NFL for the past couple of years with the Jets. Have you had any opportunity to speak to him, and if so, what have you guys talked about as I'm definitely spoke to him a lot during the whole process in this whole spring, and um, I love talking to him. He
was He's obviously amazing at what he does. One of the best in the business, and that's why I'm really excited to get to New York for sure. Um, I think it's gonna a great opportunity for me to get there and being one of the best bush teams units in the country. So UM, I think it's a cultural thing. Then I'm excited to learn and grow from that. He ain't something else about Brandon Man that He'll be the first to tell you too. He's not necessarily your average
punter or your stereotypical punter. Just in terms of physique. You think about guys in the NFL typically over six ft, somewhat slender, maybe somewhat stocking depends. He's five. But this guy can cover two e A and he is just a very interesting hunter because he can kick off if you want, he can punt, he can cover a little bit. Between him and Thomas Hennessy e A. That Jet might have the best punter and long snapper in coverage WHOA and Man hasn't even played it down in the National
Football League. You made me smiled just a little bit there. I think the Jets fans should be excited about that. Uh. When I started thinking about you talking about what Man can do in coverage, the number of one. UH at my mind was hopefully he doesn't have to make too many tackles in the National Football League level. And he
said that himself. I think when Live asked him about it, he said, yeah, I consider myself a football player, but if I'm making too many tackles, that means something's going wrong. The other thing is, when you were talking right there, the guy I thought of was Steve Weatherford. You see what Steve Weatherford does in terms of his workouts, in his physique, the former Jets potter, Yeah, you mean Armageddon is not his workout program, and that is one of
his workout programs. There's a guy who got after it big time. So no, but it's funny over the years, and it goes all the way back is that the punters and kickers UH tend to be isolated a little bit from the rest of the team. And there are guys like a Weatherford who used to be blasting the music in the locker room and living in the way room, who I think reached themselves out beyond that stigma, the
traditional stigma of the kickers. But man, it's coming in here as a rookie Hayes, a punter Uh, but they are the bottom line, his kickers are football players too. Okay, well, I think that's fair to say. I think it's good you put that out there. I do want to hit on real quick where Brandon Man fits in on this roster a little bit, but more so just about the special teams some somewhat overhaul here. So Brandon Man is one of two punters on the roster, the other guys
Ian Berryman, who was signed to reserve future deal. Then you look at the Jets kickers, Sam Fickens on the team. The Jets also brought in at the end of last season Brett Maherr, who used to kick for the Cowboys and has a monster leg as well. And then you think about where the Jets could be at kick returner. Well, and last year was Trenton Cannon Vincent Smith, both who returned in Braxton Barrios was the number two punt returner in the NFL in terms of average per punt return.
So this Jets unit I think had a good core and they could be again, they could be better in pashion. Davis could get in the mix from the kick returner perspective. Uh, he is very fast. He was not able to showcase that speed at the combine in Indianapolis, but he would have time very well. There's a kid who, as we talked about in his profile, he actually started at California as a track athlete, a sprinter or hurdler, so he can do some damage with his legs, with his wheels.
And also you mentioned the gunner position. I would be surprised at Off Davis is one of your guys out there in the early weeks of the season where he's playing on the outside, because he did that at calif Moren as well, you mentioned the kicking position. That's the kind of one where you're looking at it where Brandon Man you take him and you know he's gonna compete.
Everybody's gonna have to earn their position. But in all likelihood, do you think you're walking into twenty twenty and the Brandon Man is on your roster and he's got all the chance to be the guy opening day who's going to be a kicker. You mentioned picking Um and Brett Mayer is here as well. That is a special teams battle that we could be talking about for a while in training camp leading up to the regular season opener. But I do think that on paper, the Jets have
improved their special teams units. Now it's going to be the chemistry, the cohesion, and then also finding the spots for some of these new guys, because special team is not just specialists, as you know, who's gonna be part of your coverage, who's part of your blocking units, and things like that, because that changes each and every year. But the Jets can Russia sure knowing, rest assured, knowing that they have one of the best special teams coordinators
a whole football uh. And they've also set the standard here um as being a lead special teams unit the last couple of seasons. No reason not to believe that they will be just as good as last year, or maybe even better uh two seasons ago. I think widely considered by Rick Goslin, who does the special teams rankings each and every year, the number one special teams unit of the National Football League. If you get that again, you're gonna be in great shape. But I don't know
about you. I mean, we've been talking about Man on this podcast, and we know the other thing that we kind of glossed over a little bit is that he didn't take over the punting duties until what is junior year. But he's a kickoff specialist, so the Jets potentially could use him in a kickoff specialist role as well, um down the line or immediately while figuring out who their
field goal kicker is. Yeah, I think that Brandon Man is more than just your stereotypical punter, even though will be a rookie in and I'm very excited to see not only how he punts in the NFL, but also how this whole special team unit comes together, from the kicker to the gunners to the core special teamers. And you know, Brandt Blawyer has to deal you mentioned this, Brandt Blawyer has to deal with a lot of moving pieces throughout the course of the season, and he did.
He did a great job two years ago, he did a great job last year. He's one of the top special teams coordinators in the NFL. And he gets a new toy and Brandon Man, So we'll see what happens. But that was the final edition of the Draft Pick Profile series presented by Verizon here on the Official Jets Podcast. And next up, E A and I We're going a little bit of a different direction here. We're talking Jets opponents.
That's where we're going next. We're gonna have a people who cover each of the Jets opponents will talk about the matchup, key additions, key subtractions to their respective teams, and that's what's next. Up on the Official Jets Podcast