Former NFL punter turned analyst Pat McAfee has paid shire punter Michael Dickson a glowing tribute after another impressive display for Seattle in the NFL.
Dickson, from Kirrawee, has made headlines throughout his rookie season so far.
He left commentators speechless when he produced a ‘drop kick’ kick-off last month and was already being talked about as a rookie of the year contender after game week one.
The 22-year-old then produced an audacious ‘fake punt’ to help win the Seahawks a game against Detroit.
Now, Dickson has produced two punts in Seattle’s loss to Los Angeles that saw McAfee pour more praise on the young gun.
The first, a 68-yard monster punt, was followed by a precision punt that McAfee described as ‘perfect’.
Dickson skipped his final year of college to declare himself eligible for the NFL draft in April.
Seattle selected Dickson in the fifth round of the draft, taking him with the 149th pick. The Seahawks traded up seven places to take Dickson, handing the 156th and 226th picks to Denver for the right to move up the draft.
Dickson earned the Ray Guy Award in his final season with Texas as the best college punter in the US. He was later named the Texas Bowl MVP in his last game as a Longhorn.
Dickson was so impressive in pre-season that Seattle let go their longest-serving player, Jon Ryan, who had been the Seahawks’ punter for the last decade. Dickson led all NFL punters with an average of 51.7 yards per punt in pre-season.
Seattle, who now have a 4-5 record to sit second in the NFC West, host Green Bay on Friday (AEDT).
