The LA Rams signed a gem in Cameron Dicker. But is he a kicker or punter?

Ray Guy semi-finalist

The world of collegiate punting is not exactly an area of meticulous record-keeping in terms of statistics. Unless there was/is something special about the punter, the best you get is punting average. Thankfully, we have Sports Illustrated’s Matthew Postins and Texas Sports.com to thank for the excellent write-ups about Cameron Dicker’s nomination for the Ray Guy Award.

Per Matthew Postins on November 10, 2021?

1.   With 3 games remaining, Dicker punted nine times for 50 yards or longer.
2.   Against Oklahoma on October 9, 2021, Dicker boomed one punt for 78 yards.
3.   Against Oklahoma State on  October 16, 2021, Dicker boomed a punt for 77 yards.
4.   9 out of 35 punts were downed within the 20-yard line
5.   5 of 35 punts were downed within the 10-yard line

That’s pretty impressive. Even more impressive is that only three of his punts failed to go 40 yards, and one of those punts was blocked.  And this is all accomplished in his first full season of collegiate punting. So why did the LA Rams sign Dicker and not another unsigned punter/kicker?

For starters, the fact that  Dicker is both an accomplished placekicker and punter could eventually afford the LA Rams an emergency kicker on the roster if Dicker wins the job outright. For another thing, and perhaps more importantly, Dicker is still relatively raw in terms of his punting prowess. And yet, in just one year in college punting, he was in competition with San Diego State’s Matt Araiza, Michigan State’s Bryce Baringer, and Colorado State’s Ryan Stonehouse.

So what does Cameron Dicker have going for him?

Per Joe Cook of On3.com:

1. Very Strong leg
2. Versatile to cover multi special team roles (punter and kicker)
3. All-Conference punter.
4. Great hang time on punts allows the coverage unit to get there when the ball does.
5. Stocky build, unafraid to mix it up and tackle

All in all, I’m quite satisfied. I entered the 2022 NFL Draft hoping that the LA Rams would indeed address the punting position, and it’s clear that the LA Rams did their homework and landed an excellent prospect.

Did anyone have Cameron Dickers on their shopping list for the LA Rams at punter? I clearly dropped the ball. Of course, I have to be honest. I checked out the Top-10 at the position. I clearly never expected the Rams to sign the 11th-ranked punter. But now that they have, I’m very glad that they did.

Editor’s note: The LA Rams list Cameron Dicker as a punter, as per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue.

So now we know.