Andres Borregales was the first kicker drafted this year, taken 182nd overall by the Patriots.
Andres Borregales was the first kicker drafted this year, taken 182nd overall by the Patriots.Charles Krupa/Associated Press
FOXBOROUGH — This season, the Patriots are looking at the possibility of using their fourth kicker in four years, as rookie Andres Borregales and veteran John Parker Romo have spent the spring jousting for the job.
In the practices that have been open to the media, Borregales — a sixth-round pick out of the University of Miami — has outperformed Romo. During Monday’s workout, each got four attempts from 33 to 49 yards. Borregales connected on all four, while Romo, who ended last season on the practice squad, was 2 for 4, going wide right from 39 and 49.
There’s been no sense of who might be better on kickoffs — there’s been little special teams work during the open practices, save for return reps — but it’s clear that Borregales has the inside track.
It’s no surprise to University of Miami special teams coordinator Danny Kalter, who predicts Patriots fans will “fall in love” with the 5-foot-11-inch, 199-pound Borregales, who has a penchant for big kicks while earning the nickname “Automatic Andy.”
“He’ll be talking [expletive] as a kicker and making big kicks and getting the crowd involved,” Kalter said of Borregales, who made 75 percent of his field goal chances from 50-plus over the last two seasons with the Hurricanes. “He’ll be as fun a kicker as you can root for. And his teammates will love him. He won’t be hanging out over by the kicking net during the games. He’s going to be in there, cheering on the offense and defense.
“I think from a fan perspective, they’ll fall in love with his personality and his swagger. He doesn’t carry himself as a prototypical kicker. And it’s easy to fall for a guy like that when he’s putting the ball between the uprights at the rate he does.”
Borregales has a résumé that suggests he could bring some stability to the position. A first-team All-ACC choice in 2023 and 2024, he connected on 86 percent of his field goal attempts in college, including a career-high 94.7 percent as a senior. He finished as the leading scorer in Miami history with 405 points.
Andres Borregales connected on 86 percent of his field goal attempts at the University of Miami, including a career-high 94.7 percent as a senior.
Andres Borregales connected on 86 percent of his field goal attempts at the University of Miami, including a career-high 94.7 percent as a senior.Adrian Kraus/Associated Press
The 22-year-old Borregales, who acknowledged the history of New England’s “legendary kickers” when he spoke with reporters shortly after he was drafted, was the first kicker taken this year, 182nd overall.
“We decided to jump in there with Andres when we did, and feel pretty comfortable with that,” executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said shortly after the pick was made. “We felt like Andres was good value there, and he was a player that was ranked high on our board.”
Kicking runs in the Borregales family. Andres is the younger brother of Jose Borregales, a fellow Miami alum and winner of the 2020 Lou Groza Award, given to the best college kicker in the country. Kalter said that’s one reason Andres Borregales he has the mental and physical makeup to succeed in the NFL.
“The Patriots got a kid who is a great competitor,” Kalter said. “Personality-wise, he’s not your typical kicker. Andy proved himself that when he started playing, he was a football player first, and that propelled him to be the best kicker in the country last year. He’s a fierce competitor with a great mind-set when it comes to letting missing go, and self-evaluation and all of it.
“That comes from his family. His brother Jose was a great kicker, and Andy came right up in the same footsteps. That’s the mind-set he brings to the job every day.”
Kalter said that if Borregales trusts the form he worked to craft the last few seasons, the Patriots’ choice will pay dividends.
“He’s the most complete kicker I’ve ever been around,” said Kalter. “He just needs to trust in his leg and his incredible technique that he’s honed the last few years. Just trust in himself.
“The Patriots don’t just have a kicker. They have a true football player.”
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him @cpriceglobe.