Friday, April 14, 2000
Janikowski great leg but risky pick
Florida State kicker may be deported
BY Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The strongest leg in the NFL draft is also the biggest risk. Meet Sebastian Janikowski. Get a good look, because he might not be around long.
“He is the strongest kicker I've ever seen,” said Jerry Jones, publisher of The Drugstore List. “But he could get deported.”
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TOP PLACE-KICKERS
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• 1. Sebastian Janikowski, Florida State. Could be the best kicker in history. Also could be deported. Stay tuned.
• 2. Shayne Graham, Virginia Tech. Very consistent from 45 yards and in.
• 3. Paul Edinger, Michigan State. Strong leg and excellent mechanics.
• 4. Nathan Villegas, Oregon. Probably will go undrafted and be a free agent.
• 5. Vitaly Pisetsky, Wisconsin. Probably will go undrafted and be a free agent.
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TOP PUNTERS
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• 1. Shane Lechler, Texas A&M. Holds NCAA record for career punting average at nearly 45 yards. Also can kick off and hold on field goals and extra points.
• 2. Andrew Bayes, East Carolina. Led nation with a 48-yard average last fall.
• 3. John Baker, North Texas. Probably will go undrafted and be a free agent.
• 4. Jeff Walker, Mississippi State. Probably will go undrafted and be a free agent.
• 5. Deone Horinek, Colorado State. Probably will go undrafted and be a free agent.
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Florida State's wild-man kicker is a wild card. He faces deportation to Poland because of his unresolved charges of attempting to bribe a police officer after a nightclub incident in January.
But his talent is hard to ignore. He could be the first kicker taken in the first round in 21 years.
“His talent is such that he could have a huge impact on a game,” said Jim Lippincott, Bengals director of pro/college personnel.
“I think it would be prudent on the part of every team to find out what's wrong and what might happen. There's been so much said, you don't know what to believe.”
Janikowski is a freak of nature. He has a linebacker's body (6-foot, 260 pounds) and a party boy's problems (twice thrown out of a Talla hassee bar in 1998 and involved with a fight with a male Florida State cheerleader).
Of his 83 kickoffs last season, 57 were touchbacks. Of the 26 that were returned, only two went past the 24-yard line. He also was perfect inside 45 yards on field-goal attempts.
“This guy is Field Position; you can call him that,” Jones said. “He has great range and he's accurate.”
The uncertainty probably has dropped Janikowski into the second round, unless St.Louis at No.31 — whose kicker, Jeff Wilkins, was bothered by a knee injury last season — takes a chance on him.
The New York Jets also might spend the last of their four first-round picks (No.27) on him.
The only other kicker or punter who's probable to be drafted is Texas A&M's Shane Lechler, who holds the NCAA record for career punting average at nearly 45 yards.
The Bengals would seem unlikely to pick specialists, since they can sign college free agents Sunday night after the draft, but Lippincott said he would consider Janikowski after Round 1.
Considering eighth-year kicker Doug Pelfrey struggled last year and punter Brad Costello was erratic after returning from injury, the Bengals will open competition at both spots.
“Certainly, we'll get some guys in and try them out,” Lippincott said.
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