Bill Belichick always talked about all three phases of the game: offense, defense, and special teams. He was right; they all matter, but offense and defense matter more. Regardless, you need to have solid special teams to be a complete team.
In 2024, the Pats had Joey Slye as their kicker. He was OK but was allowed to leave in free agency and signed with the Titans. That left a gaping hole on special teams. They had one kicker on the roster, Parker Romo, and they added another in the draft.
In the 2025 draft's sixth round, they selected University of Miami's kicker, Andres Borregales. Another this year was a long-snapper, Julian Ashby of Vanderbilt. He came aboard in the seventh round. Many think drafting special teamers at all is a mistake. It may be, but if you do draft them, the sixth and seventh rounds are exactly where they should be selected.
Andres Borregales is turning heads already in Patriots early workouts
Mike Reiss of ESPN reported that Borregales had a perfect practice last week at the start of OTAs, recording 4/4 in field goal attempts, ranging from about 37-53 yards.
There's nothing like a good start to get things moving forward, and his competition, Romo, only went 2/4.
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If Borregales keeps up near that type of accuracy, you can pencil him in as the Patriots' kicker in 2025 if there is any doubt. He's a Mike Vrabel draft pick, and that will give him a leg up (no pun intended) on any other kickers on the roster.
Kickers can win or lose games, and you need a solid one if you have any chance to win a close game that comes down to the wire on a kick. The Patriots had a Hall of Fame-caliber kicker named Adam Vinatieri for years. No one needs to be reminded how valuable he was (even though Bill Belichick ill-advisedly let him walk in free agency - one of his worst decisions ever).
Borregales was one of the top college kickers from 2022-2024
Borregales has been a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the best college kicker in the nation, for the past three years. While he didn't win it, his presence on that list consistently puts him right in the mix. His stats as the top kicker at Miami for four years bear that out.
Borregales's total accuracy on field goals was 86 percent during his college career. Yet, his best percentage came in 2024, when he nailed 18 of 19, a 94.7 percentage. He was also an exceptional extra-point maker. He nailed 183 out of 184 during his four years for the Hurricanes.
Extra point efficiency is often considered a meaningless statistic. Except when your kicker muffs one or more that cost you games. New England has had far too many of these in recent seasons. Don't expect Borregales to miss any very often. In 2024, he nailed 62 out of 62.
Expect him to win the job, make almost all of his extra points, and effectively kick big field goals when necessary. He's exactly what a sixth-round kicker is supposed to be: accurate.
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