Prior to the start of mandatory minicamp, no one outside the organization had seen Anders Carlson attempt a field goal since the Green Bay Packers made him their final sixth-round selection. That changed when the team took the field on Tuesday, but not before Matt LaFleur reviewed how the rookie kicker performed through the first part of the offseason.
“He’s done an outstanding job,” said LaFleur. “I think just becoming more consistent. He’s got a lot of leg, and I don’t know if you get an opportunity to see that, but he’s got a big-time leg. I think it’s just harnessing that power and making sure it’s very consistent, but I think he’s shown improvement throughout the course of the offseason.”
During practice, the media finally got to witness Carlson’s leg strength and accuracy. He finished 5 of 6 on the day with a long of 54 yards and a miss wide right from 44 yards. His longer attempts apparently had plenty of distance.
Paul Bretl of Packers Wire captured a video of Carlson warming up.
Rookie K Anders Carlson pic.twitter.com/SYFU0hb8hr
— Paul Bretl (@Paul_Bretl) June 13, 2023
As LaFleur mentioned, the most important thing for Carlson is finding consistency. His history with special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia should help him establish a consistent rhythm/routine, but nothing will prepare him for kicking in an NFL game until he actually does it.
This season Green Bay plans to use Carlson to replace their all-time scoring leader Mason Crosby, who remains a free agent. 16 years ago, the Packers found their franchise kicker in the sixth round of the draft and are hoping to go down a similar path with Carlson.
