Take a look at how drafted kickers turn out. Even the safest bets seem to often flame out fast in the pros. I wouldn't waste the pick.
College kickers often have lousy mechanics and alignment. The coaching simply isn't specialized or very good. That's why statistics and all star teams aren't always reliable. The best prospects can be down the ladder and simply in need of someone who can straighten them out.
Jason Sanders had very good mechanics and tempo and initial height as soon as we drafted him. I emphasized it immediately. He looked better than the Ravens guy that year. Then somewhere along the line Sanders began standing too far right at address. It screwed up everything. Two-way miss, which is typical upon that type of alignment flaw.
Good luck getting the mainstream networks to mention this. They'll never do it, just like there's no such thing as a team being in a favorable situational spot one week and a poor one the next.
Sanders partially fixed his alignment in 2022. He was typically in the correct spot. But when he did err it was back to the prior bugaboo of standing slightly too far right. That's normal. Everyone has their typical miss. When you get lazy or overconfident the old bad habits resurface.
I don't know what happened in 2023. Maybe it was the holder and a fresh set of eyes. Sanders was back to his old alignment and it didn't vary all year. He regained the slight draw.
The only problem is that fans expect you to make every kick. There are going to be occasional errors or unforeseen circumstances, like the Patriots sending the far flanked guy extremely early and sure to be visible by the kicker. If that's still legal I'm sure we'll see more of it.
I wouldn't get rid of Sanders, not unless you were extra darn sure the replacement has ideal alignment, mechanics and nerves.
