Buffalo Bills draft Dutch Fork grad Tyler Bass
Tyler Bass went from walk-on to NFL Draft pick on Saturday.
The Buffalo Bills selected the former Dutch Fork High School standout in the sixth round, 188th overall, in the NFL Draft.
Bass was the second kicker taken in the draft and was the No. 1 kicker on ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper’s big board. Marshall’s John Rohnwasser was the first kicker drafted — the New England Patriots took him in the the fifth round.
“I feel like I had a good college career, good Combine, good pro day. From what we put on tape, I thought I had a really good shot to get drafted,” Bass told reporters Saturday. “It was a dream come true. I’m still kind of in shock.”
Buffalo has one other kicker on its roster, Stephen Hauschka. The Titans, Bears and Lions all expressed interest in Bass in recent weeks.
Bass was a three-year starter at Georgia Southern, where he earned a scholarship after his second season.
Bass caught the attention of NFL teams from his performance at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine. At the Senior Bowl, he shined in practices, booting a 55-yarder that would have been good from 60 yards-plus. In the game, he kicked field goals of 41 and 50 yards and was 4-of-4 on extra points.
“No. 1 kicker on the board, no doubt that,” Mel Kiper said on the draft broadcast Saturday. “Rodrigo Blankenship of Georgia got more publicity, but it was Bass with the big leg. He can hit the field goal from 55 or 60 with no problem. Accuracy is something you can continue to work on, but when you have that kind of power and that kind of leg strength, you are going to get the NFL’s attention.
“Tyler Bass with the ability to deliver in the clutch and hit the long-distance field goals made him valuable.”
Bass told reporters he hit a 71-yarder on Friday while working out at Dutch Fork High School.
Bass backed up his showing at the Senior Bowl with solid performances at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis and his pro day in March. He ended the pro day with a 63-yard field goal.
“My time in the NFL, the special teams coaches I worked with, they want the leg. They feel like they can hone a guy’s technique and get him more accurate,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said this week. But their thing is, it’s hard for us to make a stronger leg. Tyler can absolutely boom the football. That’s why we brought him in. He really showed up well out here.”
Bass made 79.4% of his field goals during his college career and missed just two of 116 extra points, none after his sophomore year. In 2018, he hit a game-winning 40-yard field goal as time expired to give Georgia Southern a 23-21 win over Eastern Michigan in the Camellia Bowl — the school’s second bowl victory. Bass calls that his favorite college moment.
Bass made 27 field goals from more than 40 yards the past three seasons, the most in Football Bowl Subdivision.
At Dutch Fork, Bass holds the school’s all-time records in field goals (28) and PATs (238), and he was part of Silver Foxes first state title team in 2013.
SC State’s Alex Taylor signs with Cleveland
South Carolina State offensive tackle Alex Taylor signed a free-agent deal with the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, according to The Draft Network’s Jordan Reid.
At 6-foot-8, 308 pounds, Taylor was one of the biggest players in the draft. He has an 88-inch wingspan — the longest at the NFL Combine this year — and ran a 5.09 40-yard dash.
Taylor, a former Berkeley standout, began his college career at Appalachian State but transferred to S.C. State in 2017 after his redshirt freshman year. He also switched sports, moving from football to basketball.
Taylor was a two-year starter at S.C. State and was a first-team All-MEAC player as a senior and third team All-American.
Ridge View’s Nasir Player signs with Tampa Bay
Former Ridge View High standout Nasir Player signed a free-agent deal with Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Playing defensive end, Player made 40 starts at East Tennessee State. He was a first-team Southern Conference selection this year with 45 tackles, 10 for loss and 4 1/2 sacks.
In high school, Player was played four years and had 88 tackles, 13 for loss in his senior year.
This story was originally published April 25, 2020 at 4:07 PM.
