The 49ers need kicker Jake Moody to be good. Not only because they used one of their two top-100 picks on him, but having a reliable kicker could be the difference between winning and losing crucial games. So far, so good for the Michigan product who San Francisco selected No. 99 overall in this year’s draft.
Moody on Tuesday finally missed a field goal – a 43-yard try according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. He made his other five attempts though including one from 53 yards out, and another from 60. He’d hit every other kick he’d gotten away in camp.
49ers special teams coach Brian Schneider on Tuesday told reporters in a press conference that he’s been pleased with the rookie’s production so far.
“He is doing really well,” Schneider said. “We’re trying to give him a little bit of everything and try and get all situations. That last one I think was 60 and we backed him up for the last one. So, he’s right on schedule, doing everything he needs to do.”
Of course, drilling field goals in a controlled practice setting is only one small piece of the equation. Moody next needs to take his reliability to game situations. Schneider said the team will aim to put Moody into every possible situation before the season begins.
“Yeah, and we’ve got to continue to test that out and see,” Schneider said of Moody’s leg strength. “So, we’ll continue to do that with different weather and different circumstances. So yeah, we always try to get a feel for that and every game that usually changes too.”
The worst case was Moody getting into camp and really struggling. So far he’s done the opposite, putting him in a good spot to be the reliable placekicker a Super Bowl contender needs.
