Johnny Hekker: Undrafted to Elite Punter in 2015

During his high school years, Johnny Hekker attended Bothell High in Washington, where he was actually the starting quarterback of his football team. Not a five-star, highly recruited punter; a quarterback.

No wonder the man can throw the pigskin on trick plays so well. Hekker currently has six completions for 99-yards and one touchdown in his career. His touchdown pass was a fake field goal pass to Danny Amendola in an upset victory over the Seattle Seahawks in 2012.

This year, Hekker completed a fantastic 20-yard fake punt pass to safety Cody Davis while scrambling against the Green Bay Packers in Week 5. Even though the play failed to change the outcome of a disappointing loss, it showcased Hekker’s versatility as an all-around special teams player.

Oct 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; St. Louis Rams punter Johnny Hekker (6) throws a pass during a fake punt as Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jeff Janis (83) defends during the third quarter at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

After graduating in 2008, Hekker became the starting punter for the Oregon State Beavers football team. There, he had a career punting average of 41.3 yards per punt over four years of college football.

Hekker had many great punts with the Beavers, including a 74-yard punt against USC in 2010, good for the second longest punt in Oregon State history.

However, he soon became the laughing stock of the internet when he kicked a punt that went for negative yardage against Wisconsin. Yes, a negative yard punt.

Then in 2012, the St. Louis Rams signed Hekker as an undrafted free agent to complement fellow rookie Greg Zuerlein, whom the Rams had selected with their sixth round pick.

While Zuerlein gained league recognition as “Greg the Leg” or “Legatron” due to his outstanding kicking power, Hekker quietly turned in a very solid rookie season. Hekker was nominated for the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week three times during the regular season. He also set the Rams record for highest punting average in a single game (56.9) against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5.

The following two seasons were even better for Hekker. In 2013, Hekker broke the single season record for net punt yards (44.2) which was previously held by Andy Lee (44) during his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers. He received Pro Bowl and 1^st Team All-Pro honors for the 2013 season, and then 2^nd Team All-Pro honors during the 2014 season.

On December 5, 2014, the St. Louis Rams inked Johnny Hekker to a 6 year, $18 million dollar contract extension with $9 million guaranteed. This made Hekker the highest paid punter in the NFL, ever.

Next: Hekker's career has been one of the best and most consistent for a punter