2026 Draft Rd 6 #35 K Trey Smack Florida

[Heyjoe4]

It is a possibility. In 2024 we sign the rookie from the Titans after we tried out Joseph and our 2033 kicker. We finally signed McManus a number of weeks in to beat the Texans. But we had no safety valve.

I'm pretty sure that Havrisik will go to the PS. I think he cleared waivers once and I expect he would clear them again - sctuslly I don't even know if he has to do that.

Are PSs built each year with players who have cleared waivers? Or if they were on the PS at the end of a season, does that protect them the next season. I don't know but I'm sure someone does. Thanks.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Yup. It is still the Wild West out there. Some programs were well out ahead of others on both. Seems like those programs are battling with tanks and destroyers, while others are just learning how to shoot a flintlock. I predict over the next 5 years, a HUGE gap between the top teams and the bottom tier in talent, success and ability to even keep certain programs afloat.

The portal and the way NIL is handled will result in a pretty locked in Top 10 every year, maybe Top 15. The level of talent will be stark with the teams that can't compete to attract players.

I also expect players who are driving up revenue at their college receive some kind of compensation. There just has to be a better way.

 

[mradtke66]

I'm pretty sure that Havrisik will go to the PS. I think he cleared waivers once and I expect he would clear them again - sctuslly I don't even know if he has to do that.

Are PSs built each year with players who have cleared waivers? Or if they were on the PS at the end of a season, does that protect them the next season. I don't know but I'm sure someone does. Thanks.

There is no real protection. Players are free agents before offered PS slots. So they are cuts or randos at home on th couch.

At th conclusion of the season, teams can offer futures contracts, basically offer PS players to be a part of next seasons 90 man roster.

 

[OldSchool101]

There is no real protection. Players are free agents before offered PS slots. So they are cuts or randos at home on th couch.

At th conclusion of the season, teams can offer futures contracts, basically offer PS players to be a part of next seasons 90 man roster.

Just a tidbit. While all that might be true. Havrisik would be signed in 24 hours or a short nap on that Couch. He also can’t be cut he’s not vested so the could be waived to move to PS.

I would think the safer thing to do would be just find a spot on the Roster until we figure out what’s what?

 

[gopkrs]

There is no real protection. Players are free agents before offered PS slots. So they are cuts or randos at home on th couch.

At th conclusion of the season, teams can offer futures contracts, basically offer PS players to be a part of next seasons 90 man roster.

I think that once a player clears wavers and goes on the PS; there is a way to make it so a few players that you designate cannot be poached. Maybe you have to pay them more or something.

 

[Half Empty]

I think that once a player clears wavers and goes on the PS; there is a way to make it so a few players that you designate cannot be poached. Maybe you have to pay them more or something.

I'm sure there are nuances to it, like almost everything else, but the bottom line is that teams can 'protect' four players on the PS from being signed away.

 

[OldSchool101]

I'm sure there are nuances to it, like almost everything else, but the bottom line is that teams can 'protect' four players on the PS from being signed away.

I like that. For me that list would start with either a QB3 or 1 or 2 specialists on Teams. Such as a LS or Kicker. Especially in postseason where you don’t want Christian McCaffrey doubling at QB like he did a few years ago.

 

[mradtke66]

I think that once a player clears wavers and goes on the PS; there is a way to make it so a few players that you designate cannot be poached. Maybe you have to pay them more or something.

Correct. Once a player makes it to the PS, you can protect 4 players on any given week. But you have to get them there first.

 

[mradtke66]

Just a tidbit. While all that might be true. Havrisik would be signed in 24 hours or a short nap on that Couch. He also can’t be cut he’s not vested so the could be waived to move to PS.

You are technically correct, he would be waived not cut. If anything, that makes releasing him riskier. Another team puts in a claim and tada he’s a raider or Viking. Not that it’s necessarily likely.

It’d also not significantly different since he’s playing on a near minimum deal.

I would think the safer thing to do would be just find a spot on the Roster

Maybe, but carrying two kickers is probably wasteful and most other teams have a developmental kicker. If he were that hot of a commodity, someone else would have signed him in the off season.

 

[OldSchool101]

Maybe, but carrying two kickers is probably wasteful and most other teams have a developmental kicker. If he were that hot of a commodity, someone else would have signed him in the off season.

Sure. I get that.

The other aspect of point I’m trying to make has to do with timing. A PlaceKicker being a FA on the open market all offseason is one thing and I can agree with that. Here we’re talking about final cutdowns and another team grabbing guy off what’s really a moments notice window. After final Roster cuts you’re a new team starting over at PK with Game 1 on the line next week?

Also the the more I ponder this I’m thinking the only way Havrisik would make Wavers is he’s deemed the lesser Kicker of 2 and that on a struggling team at Kicker. So this fits with your point @mradtke66 if Havrisik was in such high demand he’d already be gone in some format. Reality is he’s important to us because he’s been here and getting acclimated now. Yet he’s still a PK who has barely 1/2 of a single season of actual experience

 

[OldSchool101]

I’m putting my money on Smack stays. Unless he’s just awful through Preseason and Camp. I have a hard time buying we’ll just waste a pair of 7th rounders and move on.
Moving to Lukas would at minimum be highly questionable or unusual in a Rookie season imo. Especially if that exchange at PK is for a newer K who’s 79.2% FGM and just 83.9% on XPA (Havrisik).
5 misses inside 33 yards on 31 tries? For me consistency is more important than making a 61 yard try imo. Now A 60+ leg is a nice bonus, but only after accuracy is established inside 50 yards. Give me a guy who’s 88-92% inside <50 yards and hits 95%+ XPA first and has at least a range from =55.

 

[Heyjoe4]

There is no real protection. Players are free agents before offered PS slots. So they are cuts or randos at home on th couch.

At th conclusion of the season, teams can offer futures contracts, basically offer PS players to be a part of next seasons 90 man roster.

Thanks 66. By offering a futures contract a team can protect and keep players they like - well, as long as the player is in agreement.

I can see the logic of a PS player at least trying FA.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Maybe, but carrying two kickers is probably wasteful and most other teams have a developmental kicker. If he were that hot of a commodity, someone else would have signed him in the off season.

Agree

I highly doubt the Packers would protect 2 kickers in their final cutdown to 53 in Sept. Why do I say that? First, that means cutting another player at another position and exposing them to waivers. Second and more importantly, neither of the 2 Packer kickers that are currently on the roster (Smack & Havrisik) have proven themselves to be solid NFL kickers. I would even go as far as to say that neither of them, at this moment, would be viewed as a top 32 kicker in the NFL.

There are 32 teams in the NFL and each will have their "favorite" kicker of the 1-2 that practiced and played in the preseason. Unless both of the Packers kickers just start nailing everything in practice and preseason games, 1 of them will join the other 20-30 kickers that are unemployed after cutdowns. Yes, the Packers will want to carry a 2nd kicker on their PS, but they will have plenty to choose from to fill that spot in Sept.

No offense to Packer fans or other NFL fans, but I think people can get so attached to their own team and its players, that sometimes logic doesn't hold true when evaluating "their teams" players.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Agree

I highly doubt the Packers would protect 2 kickers in their final cutdown to 53 in Sept. Why do I say that? First, that means cutting another player at another position and exposing them to waivers. Second and more importantly, neither of the 2 Packer kickers that are currently on the roster (Smack & Havrisik) have proven themselves to be solid NFL kickers. I would even go as far as to say that neither of them, at this moment, would be viewed as a top 32 kicker in the NFL.

There are 32 teams in the NFL and each will have their "favorite" kicker of the 1-2 that practiced and played in the preseason. Unless both of the Packers kickers just start nailing everything in practice and preseason games, 1 of them will join the other 20-30 kickers that are unemployed after cutdowns. Yes, the Packers will want to carry a 2nd kicker on their PS, but they will have plenty to choose from to fill that spot in Sept.

No offense to Packer fans or other NFL fans, but I think people can get so attached to their own team and its players, that sometimes logic doesn't hold true when evaluating "their teams" players.

'No offense to Packer fans or other NFL fans, but I think people can get so attached to their own team and its players, that sometimes logic doesn't hold true when evaluating "their teams" players.'

You're being very charitable here Poker. I think we all are guilty of getting too attached to our team, pro or college. As a result our opinions are almost always subjective.

And I agree that the Packers should not protect two Ks for the 53. Now that you mention it, I wonder if that's ever been done.

Smack sounds like he'll be fine in the NFL. He was arguably the standout K in college last season. But a rookie is a rookie, and there are few positions as pressure-packed as PK. That said, it would be terrific if the Packers could settle on a K for the next 10 years or so. The position is just too important.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

And I agree that the Packers should not protect two Ks for the 53. Now that you mention it, I wonder if that's ever been done.

Probably not done often, but I can see in a situation where your #1 kicker is injured, you keep 2 on the 53 to start the season.

Like I said, I think right now, the Packers have 2 JAG kickers on their 90 man roster. So unless they have an injury situation or both of them just kick the daylights out of the ball between now and Sept., 1 will be cut. Whether the guy who is cut lands back on the PS after, will depend on his evaluation by the Packers.

Even after the NFL expanded the PS to 16 players, only about half of the teams elect to carry a 2nd kicker on their PS. I guess there are enough free agent kickers out there, that many teams decided that they prefer using their 16/17 spots for developmental players at other positions.

 

[gopkrs]

Probably not done often, but I can see in a situation where your #1 kicker is injured, you keep 2 on the 53 to start the season.

Like I said, I think right now, the Packers have 2 JAG kickers on their 90 man roster. So unless they have an injury situation or both of them just kick the daylights out of the ball between now and Sept., 1 will be cut. Whether the guy who is cut lands back on the PS after, will depend on his evaluation by the Packers.
For
Even after the NFL expanded the PS to 16 players, only about half of the teams elect to carry a 2nd kicker on their PS. I guess there are enough free agent kickers out there, that many teams decided that they prefer using their 16/17 spots for developmental players at other positions.

I agree with hey joe. Having a kicker that you more or less trust on the PS makes sense to me. For a short term illness or injury you have a guy ready to step on to the field without having to worry a whole lot.

 

[Voyageur]

Packers signed Havrisik to a futures contract back in January. That was done before they drafted Smack. My theory, although a lot of people might disagree, they were protecting him and considering him their potential kicker unless they found someone they could prove was better in camp.

Drafting Smack in the 6th round could be construed as a move to make Smack the kicker but I'm not certain that's the case. I believe it was to ensure that either way, the one of the two they chose was going to do a decent job for them.

Now, if Smack was drafted before Lucas was signed, I'd say this scenario would be less likely. In either case, the decision is a camp decision, and I don't see them making it until the next to last cut.

 

[OldSchool101]

I think Havrisik did a nice job as a temporary fill in. He even hit a 61 yarder. That said it’s a very small sample and his numbers are very uninspiring.

GB will roll with Smack. Now they might sign Lukas to PS as a plan B. Every other season we’re bringing on board the tryout Kicker or Punter. We’re not trading up into RD6 for a PK unless we’ve done our homework. It would take an awful amount of catastrophic misses for us to part with a draft pick 5 months after the draft. Year 2? Maybe but not next month.

Not saying we can’t Waive our own Rookie, I think that’s highly unusual it doesn’t even sound normal. Like historically unusual. It’s Smack Job to lose and anything remotely close goes to Smack imo and I’m not talking Smack! I think?

 

[gopkrs]

Packers signed Havrisik to a futures contract back in January. That was done before they drafted Smack. My theory, although a lot of people might disagree, they were protecting him and considering him their potential kicker unless they found someone they could prove was better in camp.

Drafting Smack in the 6th round could be construed as a move to make Smack the kicker but I'm not certain that's the case. I believe it was to ensure that either way, the one of the two they chose was going to do a decent job for them.

Now, if Smack was drafted before Lucas was signed, I'd say this scenario would be less likely. In either case, the decision is a camp decision, and I don't see them making it until the next to last cut.

jmo but I think Havrisik would clear waivers for the PS but Smack would not. So I'd say that things being kind of equal would put Smack on the 53. And how could he not be the guy with a name like Smack?

 

[tynimiller]

jmo but I think Havrisik would clear waivers for the PS but Smack would not. So I'd say that things being kind of equal would put Smack on the 53. And how could he not be the guy with a name like Smack?

Smack absolutely gets claimed more likely than Hav.

 

[milani]

Packers signed Havrisik to a futures contract back in January. That was done before they drafted Smack. My theory, although a lot of people might disagree, they were protecting him and considering him their potential kicker unless they found someone they could prove was better in camp.

Drafting Smack in the 6th round could be construed as a move to make Smack the kicker but I'm not certain that's the case. I believe it was to ensure that either way, the one of the two they chose was going to do a decent job for them.

Now, if Smack was drafted before Lucas was signed, I'd say this scenario would be less likely. In either case, the decision is a camp decision, and I don't see them making it until the next to last cut.

With our recent kicking fiasco the Packers just want to find a winner. And they have to put these kickers to the test.

 

[Heyjoe4]

With our recent kicking fiasco the Packers just want to find a winner. And they have to put these kickers to the test.

The team has too much talent to have anything but a solid PK. We've expeienced how painful it is when a game is lost due to missed PATs and FGs.

But finding a PK who will play consistently well year after year is a challenge. Gluten obviously thought the reward of drafting Smack outweighed the risk. TC starts this month and we'll all know soon enough. Then again, real games bring a whole new level of pressure, and the ultimate test of a winner.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Packers signed Havrisik to a futures contract back in January. That was done before they drafted Smack. My theory, although a lot of people might disagree, they were protecting him and considering him their potential kicker unless they found someone they could prove was better in camp.

Personally, I think the whole kicking situation this offseason has been poorly managed by the Packers and that starts with what they did with McManus.

If the Packers had enough confidence in keeping Havrisik to be their kicker or keep him for competition, why give Brandon McManus the $1M bonus in March? I know a million is just couch cushion money to NFL GM's, but if he really wasn't in Gute's future plans, he should have just outright cut McManus BEFORE being contractually required to pay him the million.

Did Gute think that drafting Smack solved everything and that was why he cut McManus? What changed between paying McManus the money and drafting Smack? There were no practices or games. Had Smack not been available to trade two 7th round picks to get, would McManus still be on the team? Or would Gute have just signed another undrafted FA kicker and still cut McManus?

Anyway, everything Gute has done tells me that he has a low confidence level in Havrisik being his kicker of the future. Everything that Smack has done since being drafted, has been relatively unimpressive. Personally, I think a team can get into its own head on kickers. Very few kickers don't go through slumps. The good ones get themselves out of those slumps quickly and go back to kicking with confidence. It seems to be the young ones that take longer to adjust and figure things out. Patience with a kicker isn't a strong point with fans or coaches it seems. But jumping from one to another, trying to find "Mr. Perfect"? Just doesn't happen often.

I almost would have rather seen Gute have shown more patience with McManus. Not drafted Smack and just see what happens. Will be interesting to see who is kicking on opening day, all the games in between and the final Packer game of the 2026 season.