Former K-State kicker Matthew McCrane thinks his leg is NFL-ready

Matthew McCrane might not be the best kicker to ever play for Kansas State, but he owns the most school records.

McCrane left K-State as the program’s leader in career field goals made (57), field-goal percentage (86.3), extra-point percentage (99.2) and field goals made longer than 50 yards (5).

Those numbers put him in elite company with former K-State kicker Martin Gramatica. It was an honor for McCrane to break some of his college kicking records. Now, he is trying to follow in Gramatica’s NFL footsteps.

“It’s something I have dreamed about since I was a kid,” McCrane said. “To hear my name on a draft board here or there with someone saying I have the possibility of being picked is pretty incredible. It’s going to be a busy and crazy next couple months, but I am ready for it.”

McCrane began his journey toward a pro kicking career earlier this month by signing with sports agent Rob Roche, who represents NFL kickers Justin Tucker and Connor Barth, and by playing in the East-West Shrine Game. While there, he connected on several long field goals in front of scouts at practice, including a 54-yarder that made its way on social media. He also helped the West win by kicking two extra points.

Basically, it was a continuation of his college success.

McCrane was reliable for four years as K-State’s kicker, connecting of 57 of 66 field goals and 133 of 134 extra points. Other than the occassional injury, which knocked him out of games as a sophomore and junior, there was little to complain about. Last season, he made the All-Big 12 first team.

He has all the credentials of a NFL kicker. Still, he will have to prove himself all over again as the draft approaches.

“So far, they are projecting me to be picked in the sixth or seventh round,” McCrane said. “Of course, I could always go undrafted and try to make a team as a free agent. Either way, it’s a good chance for me to get a shot at the next level. The biggest question teams have had is leg strength. They want to see long kickoffs and long field goals. I feel like I showed I could do that at K-State, but I definitely proved it at the Shrine game.”

McCrane has been showing off his leg for about a year now. Last summer, he shared videos of himself connecting on field goals of 60 yards. In games, he made field goals from 54 yards and was consistently accurate from 40-49 yards.

Adding distance to kickoffs seems like his main challenge, at the moment. He is improving daily, and booted his lone kickoff halfway into the end zone at the shrine game.

McCrane is holding out hope he will receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine in early March, but he is also training for K-State’s pro day on March 13.

In the meantime, he will finish up his masters degree in business and train at K-State. He thinks he is on track.

“The great thing about Kansas State is that I have kicked in every condition possible,” McCrane said. “That gives me an advantage over a lot of other kickers, especially those from the South. We played at West Virginia when it was cold, we played at Iowa State when it was windy, we played at Texas when it was raining. We played in every condition possible. It’s how you hit the ball in good conditions as well as bad. I think I have done well, and am kicking the ball well enough right now, that I am ready for the NFL.”

This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 9:55 AM with the headline "Former K-State kicker Matthew McCrane thinks his leg is NFL-ready."