The Rams drafted their hopeful franchise kicker over signing the talented UFL kicker who’s name is making waves.
The Rams spent a sixth-round pick to select what I believe to be the best kicker in the NFL Draft this year. They decided to go this route to fill their gaping hole at the kicker position, a position that gave them plenty of trouble this past year. Instead, some fans wonder if the Rams should have just signed Jake Bates from the UFL. Should they have?
My answer is no. While Jake Bates is the talk of the UFL right now due to his enormous leg and consistency, it’s still important to remember the man had never kicked in a game before. While that may not matter to some, it still does matter in terms of being able to find a one-off one-kick wonder and find the next Matt Gay, Greg Zuerlein or Jeff Wilkins for your team. The Rams need their next kicker to be on the level of the one they let get away and the hope is Karty is just that.
What we often times forget is that you can find talent anywhere, you can find kickers anywhere but the Rams aren’t looking for a one year option, they clearly want a long term fit and Karty is going to be signed to a four-year deal as part of his draft selection. Bates could end up being special but there is a chance he ends up like the last kicker who held the record for longest kick made in the UFL, Donny Hageman. Hageman hit a 59 yarder in 2023 and went unclaimed in the 2024 UFL dispersal draft. That’s not to say Bates will follow suit because he absolutely will be back in the NFL again but for how long?
Another important tidbit here is that the Rams cannot just sign Jake Bates right now as he he’s under contract by the Michigan Panthers. If the Rams wanted to sign Bates, they would have had to wait until after the UFL season which comes after the draft. It was a risk there for the Rams, it’s not to say they wouldn’t have done it but with Karty you know he’s yours and you have filled the spot for the next four years at least if he’s anything like he was in college.
The Rams could absolutely try to bring Bates in for competition against Karty this off-season once he is available, but to assume the Rams made a mistake filling a need and not waiting for a month or two for a kicker in the UFL would be a mistake.
Karty went 72 of 73 from extra points in three years as the starting kicker for Stanford. He missed just one extra point. The Rams had the second lowest percentage of extra points made in the NFL last year which is a big deal. Karty also showed the ability to improve every year going from 10/15 in 2021 from field goal range, to 18/18 the following year and 23/27 the year after that with a career high 90 points scored. The Rams had a sub 75 percent kick percentage last year which was third to last in the league. Karty should help with that immediately with his career 85 percent and over 90 percent of the last two years.
Currently Bates isn’t available as it stands, has a 77.8 percent kick accuracy and isn’t a need. Karty does everything you want, has more experience and is consistent with a leg of over 60. It’s a reminder that not only Jake Bates as a big leg. What the Rams are getting with Karty is someone who locks in three points. As previously stated, Karty is consistent and is automatic just about in extra point opportunities. That’s the important distinction that the Rams need.
Karty is exactly what a powerful offense needs should they ever get stalled. He is going to hit every extra point and everything inside of 49. Expecting someone to be perfect from 50 yards and beyond just isn’t realistic. Karty went 4 of 7 from 50 plus in 2023 and 3 for 3 in 2022. In 2021 he went 1 for 5. Finding someone who continues to get better and finding them in the draft which makes them cost effective is the route the Rams should always go.
I know if you are into the UFL it may be hard to watch Bates drill it 64 yards for a win but the reality here is that the Rams made the smart move in not choosing to wait and it should pay off in a big way.
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