INDIANAPOLIS — Punters are overlooked in the draft conversation every year, but there are always at least one or two taken in the late rounds. Some call it a waste of a pick, but after watching Michael Dickson play a key role in the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl win, that’s hard to argue.
Punters can bail teams out of bad situations, or apply pressure to opposing teams by pinning them deep in their own end. The field position battle can be lost or won by the leg of a punter.
In this draft class, Georgia P Brett Thorson may be the best option. Hailing from Australia, he didn’t grow up with much awareness of the sport. His exposure to football came by chance.
“I just kind of stumbled across an article on the news in Australia and found out what it was about,” Thorson said during his media session at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. “So I went and did a tryout and they’re like, you should do it. At first we thought they were just running a business. Mom and dad were like, ‘They just want your money,’ but I was like I think I can do it. I did the tryout and went from there.”
That eventually landed him with the Georgia Bulldogs, where he won a National Championship during his freshman season.
It was during that season that he really turned some heads with one of the best punts you’ll ever see.
“Best punt? I’d probably take the Tennessee one obviously,” Thorson said. “Big game, big moment kind of in the balance. So it was good to help the boys out.”
The ball left his foot at his own 14-yard line and rolled out of bounds just before Tennessee’s goal line. Both teams were undefeated entering the game. It doesn’t get much better than that.
He was just as quick to remember his worst punt.
“This year I put one on the 20-yard line and Coach Smart let me have it.”
Thorson won the Ray Guy award for the 2025 season, and averaged 47.6 yards per punt during his best college season. Of his 156 career punt attempts, 87 were downed within the 20, and only 19 were returned with 12 additional touchbacks. Pro Football Focus clocked his average hangtime at 4.34 seconds.
One of his other biggest plays was an unexpected game-saving tackle against Tennessee.
His team had fun with that moment as coaches asked him to give a tackle clinic in one of the next team meetings.
“I got called into the coach’s office, and I was like what did I do? They told me the idea, it was Coach Smart’s idea that morning. I initially didn’t like the idea, and they’re like go home and think about it. I didn’t really realize it would get as public or as seen as it did.”
The video from the team meeting is posted online. Check it out, it’s hilarious.
Just as important as punting is a punter’s duties as a holder on the kicking unit. That’s something Thorson admittedly needs to work on.
“I didn’t do it at Georgia, so it’s a big thing that I’ve been working on this whole process…It’s something I’m looking forward to really working on and really making an emphasis on my game, ’cause it’s a huge part and just as important as punting.”
Fortunately, Thorson has a vast network of Aussie punters he can talk to and get advice from around the league. That includes former Steelers P Cameron Johnston.
“Reach out to ’em a lot. Cam Johnston, he was huge this year with the ACL rehab, both going through it at the same time. Yeah, so all the Australians, it’s a good little network. Everyone’s happy to pick up the phone and talk.”
Specialists don’t have formal meetings with teams at the combine, but have what Brett Thorson described as a “speed dating” process of meeting with groups of teams all at once. He spoke to all 32 teams.
He hopes to become the latest Australian punter drafted, and is keenly aware of the teams that may need help around the league.
“There’s a lot of musical chairs that need to be played in the punting world right now,” Thorson said. “I think there’s like 10 free agents, so it’s hard to know which teams will actually be in the market.”
If a punter gets drafted, and typically a couple do, Brett Thorson is one of the top names on the list, and one the Steelers should consider.
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