Tom Hackett, P, Utah

Position: Punter
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 198 lbs
Year: Senior
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Experience: 4 year starter, won starting job early in freshman season

Measurables:

40yd dash: NA
Broad jump: NA
Vertical: NA
3-cone: NA
20yd. Shuttle: NA
Bench Press: NA

Career Notes:

A two-time Ray Guy winner and 2015 consensus All-American, Tom Hackett led the NCAA in punting average in 2015 with a stellar 48.0 yards per punt on 61 punts. Despite his size relative to other punters (5’10, 198), he has a powerful leg, as demonstrated in his 23 punts of 50+ yards in 2015, as well as 4 career punts of 70+ yards. In addition to power, Hackett has shown the ability to accurately pin the opponent deep in their own territory. 28 of his 61 punts in 2015 were downed inside the opponent’s 20 yard line, 14 were downed inside the 10, and 5 were downed inside the 5.

Hackett has the experience and agility to “rugby punt”, as well as the more traditional style of punting. He is 4/4 in his career on rushing conversions, and has never had a punt blocked. Hackett has a strong personality, evident in his trash talk directed at the BYU team before the Utah-BYU game, and claims to enjoy American football more than rugby because he does not have to run as much. Hackett was not invited to the Senior Bowl.

Hackett’s best game was in Utah’s 62-20 trouncing of Oregon early in 2015. He punted three times for an average of 60.3 yards, including a 76 yarder. All three punts were downed inside the 10 yard line. He also rushed for 33 yards to pick up a first down on a fake punt conversion. Later in the season against Arizona State, he placed 5 of 8 punts inside the 20 yard line and also made a touchdown-saving tackle.

Injury Report: 

Hackett has never missed a game due to injury.  He has played in and started every game of his career since taking the starting position early on in his freshman campaign.

Career Stats: http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/tom-hackett-1.html

Analysis

Accuracy: 5/5

Not only is Hackett capable of angling punts in any direction, he is capable of doing it from both a traditional spot-punt as well as a rollout rugby punt. He consistently drops the ball near the sideline, leaving returners little if any space to work with. Additionally, his mastery of punting depth is evident  in his ability to land the ball effortlessly near the goal line from all different punting situations. He also can make his punts land with backspin, which is another weapon in his arsenal.

Power: 4.8/5

Hackett has great leg strength, apparent both when trying for distance and trying for hang time. He is more than capable of flipping the field when Utah is pinned deep in their own territory, kicking high and deep with a trajectory similar to kickoffs. When punting from closer to midfield, his punts stay in the air long enough for the coverage to keep it from going into the end zone.

Athleticism: 4.8/5

Very athletic for the position. He was frequently asked to roll out to his right to kick while on the move. He has a great feel for when to kick the ball when rushers are coming from the side he is rolling to. Despite his size, can jump to catch errant snaps, and is extremely effective as a runner on fake punts. Transitions well from catching the snap to the actual punt.

Consistency: 5/5

Summary

Hackett is one of the most NFL-ready prospects at any position. His mastery of the punting game made him a fan favorite at Utah, as well as one of the key players on the team. He has the leg strength to consistently flip field position, but more importantly has incredible touch and accuracy that nearly always gives his coverage team a chance to stop the ball very close to the goal line. His athleticism is also extremely useful, as it gives teams the flexibility to call various kinds of fake punts.

Overall Grade: 5/5

If drafted by the Packers:

Hackett would immediately step in and be an upgrade over Tim Masthay in the punting game. While Masthay occasionally has flashes of brilliance, Hackett would bring a level of consistent excellence that would help the Packers special teams unit become one of the best in the league. His athleticism is a nice bonus, and the only possible disadvantage he has compared to Masthay is in tackling, as Masthay is one of the best tackling punters in the league.

Video: