Cam Little has what it takes to end Jaguars' long-term woes at kicker

The Jacksonville Jaguars have lacked stability at kicker for the past three years. That's why they didn't hesitate to use a sixth-round pick on Cam Little in the 2024 NFL Draft. Little will be given a chance to put an end to the struggles at the position once and for all, and draft analyst Chad Reuter of NFL Media recently explained why Little should be able to pull it off.

Reuter made an appearance on 1010 XL and gushed about Little's ability to routinely nail field goal attempts of 60-plus yards.

"Cam Little was my No. 1 kicker," Reuter said. "That dude — he doesn't look like much when you look at him — but that dude will be making 60-yarders. I was one of the few media people who was stuck for the specialist workout at the combine. He did a competition with two teams. Cam Little had to make a 60-yarder to win that competition. He stood up and did it. He proved it at Arkansas. That guy's good and I'll be surprised if he isn't a good pro."

Little was one of three kickers who heard their name called in the draft. The other two were Joshua Karty and Will Reichard. The Jaguars must've used a sixth-round pick on the Arkansas product because they probably thought they weren't going to be able to sign him as a free agent.

At Arkansas, Little never missed an extra point and his career completion rate of 82.9 percent in field goals in three seasons with the Razorbacks was a school record. On top of that, he was able to showcase his leg strength — the one Reuter alluded to — in 2023, going 4-of-5 in attempts of 50+ yards. Here's Reuter's appearance on 1010 XL's Jaguars Today.

The Jaguars hope Cam Little stops the revolving door at kicker

The Jaguars have employed several kickers over the last three years but none of them have proved to be the answer at the position. Back in 2021, they moved on from Josh Lambo and replaced him with Matthew Wright. He was gone after the season. Jacksonville then held a training camp competition between Andrew Mevis, then an undrafted free agent, and Ryan Santoso but neither did enough to win the job.

Just before the start of the 2022 season, the Jags tried James McCourt and Elliot Fry before claiming Riley Patterson off waivers. At least temporarily, the Jags found an answer at kicker. However, Patterson's lack of strength in long-field goals and kickoffs prevented him from being a permanent fixture. Once Brandon McManus became available in the 2023 offseason, the Jags signed him and moved on from Patterson.

McManus got off to a solid start but he cooled down as 2023 progressed. Not surprisingly, he was one and done in Jacksonville. Again, the team's brass brought Patterson back and tried to lure Wil Lutz in free agency. However, Lutz opted to stay with the Denver Broncos after backing down from an agreement he had in the tampering period. Jacksonville then brought in Joey Slye to compete with Patterson, but they released him not long after Cam Little was drafted.

Ultimately, the Jaguars used a sixth-round pick on Little because they think he can stop the revolving door at kicker. He's already had success at the collegiate level and Chad Reuter believes it will carry over into the pros. At this moment, it's hard to argue against it.

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