Oakland Raiders: 3 most underrated players entering 2019
By Kenny King
Daniel Carlson, K
As the 167th pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, it’s a bit baffling to have this player listed as a Raider, nonetheless an underdog deserving of recognition, but Clutch Carl is exactly that. Daniel Carlson came into the NFL with all the accolades that you would hope for in a franchise kicker, 100% extra points made, 80.7% field Goals made, all-time leading scorer in SEC history, but apparently that wasn’t enough for the Minnesota Vikings to keep him.
Carlson won the starting job in Minnesota, however lost it when he failed to make a field goal in an overtime game vs. the rival Green Bay Packers that ultimately ended in a tie. A few weeks after his release, Carlson was signed by the Raiders, who had their share of kicking woes after releasing 18-year veteran Sebastian Janikowski, the Raiders all-time scoring leader.
Carlson came in and was an immediate upgrade to recently released rookie Matt McCrane, as he went 4 for 4 on extra points in the 42-28 offensive shootout against the Indianapolis Colts.
Carlson then went on to score the lone 3 points vs. the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9 and went 2-for-2 on field goals against their division rival Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10. In Week 11, Carlson earned the long-term starting kicker role with his field goal as time ran out vs the Arizona Cardinals, though Carlson’s field goal was largely overshadowed by Derek Carr and Jon Gruden’s first “argument” on the sideline.
Daniel Carlson has shown that he should be the long-term answer to kicker and should be heir apparent to the great Seabass.