On Friday and Saturday Parker Douglass, South Dakota State University came to Scottsdale, Arizona for some One on One Kicking Lessons. Parker graduated from SDSU last year and had a workout with the Kansas City Chiefs a week after the 2008 NFL Draft.So, the NFL already knows that Parker has some potential as a NFL kicker. He's not a secret.
Parker has a good leg and as soon as he kicked I could see he has some 'pop or explosion' in his leg. However, in my opinion he needs to not only refine his technique but also get more NFL exposure.
In the above photo you see Adam Vinatieri (Colts), Jeff Jaeger (Bears) and me (sitting in cart after an ankle surgery) working the River Falls Kicking Camp in River Falls, Wisconsin. This years Coach Zauner's Kicking Camp is scheduled for June 27 - 29.
As the story goes, many years ago there was another young kicker from Yankton South Dakota who played for South Dakota State University and his name was Adam Vinatieri. (He turned out to be on top of the kicking game!) Adam attended our kicking camps for several years in River Falls, Wisconsin. And for those kicking specialists from smaller colleges, it took Adam a couple of years to break in to the circuit.
Parker being from South Dakota had a little rust on his kicking technique. The weather has not allowed him to kick much back home outdoors.Even though Parker was a little rusty he has a strong leg and that much needed 'pop' to impress NFL Coaches, Scouts and me. In the two days of One on One Kicking Lessons I tried to help Parker get a routine that would help him refine his technique and skills which would eventually take his game to the next level.
A big leg can get you seen, however, Consistency, Consistency, and more Consistency might get you a job!
Parker continued to work on some drills that I felt would help with his follow through and finish his kicks. He was crunching and punching. I tried to get him to kick up and through the ball more and kick with better tempo and under control.We finished with some kickoffs and Parker showed me some good leg strength. He kicked a few of his kickoffs into the end zone which I clocked with hang times between 4.2 and 4.42 seconds!
Click here to listen to Parker Douglass's testimonial on working with Coach Zauner.
It was a pleasure working with Parker and I wish him the best of luck in the future. I mentioned to Parker that I am hosting a Free Agent Specialists NFL Combine on April 6th in Phoenix and if his consistency improves he is welcome to come back and try to earn a spot in the event.
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