Kicker Adam Vinatieri, four-time Super Bowl winner and oldest active player in the NFL at 47 years old, was recently released by the Colts
Vinatieri’s age looked to finally catch up to him last year.
Fighting inconsistency, and injuries, he was placed on injured reserve in December.
With his release, the Indianapolis Colts have a dire need for a consistent, reliable kicker.
The new kicker more than likely won’t have the longevity Vinatieri had.
However, he will have to step up and fill some mighty large shoes.
Who, you may ask, could the Colts look at in the draft to fill those shoes?
I present to you Georgia’s Rodrigo Blankenship.
Who is Ricardo Blankenship?
Rodrigo Blankenship, affectionately known as “Hot Rod,” spent his formative years playing soccer.
Around age ten, he began trying his hand (or foot) at kicking footballs.
He excelled well enough in high school that he played in the 2014-15 U.S. Army All American Bowl.
He was also ranked as the ninth-best kicker in the country.
Blankenship did not receive a college scholarship, but enrolled at Georgia as a preferred walk-on in 2015.
In 2016, he became the starting kicker for the Bulldogs.
Blankenship did not disappoint during his red-shirt freshman year.
During that season, he made all 26 extra-point attempts and hit 14 of his 18 field-goal tries.
In 2017, Blankenship received a full scholarship after missing only three kicks and, again, making all his extra-point attempts.
Even more impressive, that season Blankenship was 2 for 2 on field-goal tries of 50 yards or longer.
One of those attempts was a record 55-yard field goal in the Rose Bowl against Oklahoma.
Rodrigo Blankenship just set a Rose Bowl record with this 55-yard field goal! Georgia trails 31-17 at halftime. pic.twitter.com/dkZf2rN7Mk
— DawgNation (@DawgNation) January 1, 2018
Georgia went on to win that game and faced mighty Alabama in the National Championship game.
Blankenship came up big again, nailing a 51 yarder in overtime to temporarily put the Bulldogs in the lead.
It wasn’t enough, however, and the Tide came back to win 26-23.
In 2018, Blankenship’s notoriety grew as he was named second-team All-SEC after missing only four kicks.
2019 was an uncharacteristically down year as he missed six kicks.
Those misses did nothing to impede Blankenship from being selected for the Lou Groza Award after the ‘19 season.
The Groza Award is given to the best college kicker in the nation.
Blankenship also received first-team All-SEC honors.
Blankenship in the NFL
At first glance, Blankenship might be dismissed as a wayward equipment manager.
He is known for his trademark black, thick, horn-rimmed glasses.
#Dawgs One final Senior tribute – a man who went from former walk-on to receiving the loudest ovation in pre-game announcements…graduate K Rodrigo “Hot Rod” Blankenship!
DawgNation will forever miss Hot Rod…and those specs! 😎#RespectTheSpecs
💯🐶🏈 #GoDawgs #SeniorDay pic.twitter.com/Wwx0d97Xnt
— GATA Dawgs (@BassinDawg) November 20, 2019
However, his name is also synonymous with college football’s all-time kicking greats.
During his college career, Blankenship never missed an extra point.
He also holds an 82.5% total completion rate including 92.7% for kicks under 40 yards.
Scouts worry about the six kicks he missed in 2019 as well as the low drive he sometimes has when kicking the ball (which led to three blocked kicks during his career).
However, those same scouts love Blankenship’s consistency and firmly believe he will be the first kicker selected in April.
Indy has a number of needs to address in the draft.
However, can they really afford to pass up a nearly automatic point machine, especially since Vinatieri is gone?
The Colts could grab him with either their 122nd pick in the 4th-round or 160th pick of the 5th round.
Wait any longer than that and the most talented kicker in the draft may be gone.
NEXT: 3 Reasons The Indianapolis Colts Should Keep Jacoby Brissett
