The not-so-obvious reasons Minnesota drafted Alabama kicker Will Reichard
Will Reichard became the NCAA FBS all-time scoring leader during his five seasons as Alabama’s kicker, so there are plenty of obvious reasons the Minnesota Vikings chose him in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.
But one of the not-so-obvious ones was shared by Vikings college scout Steve Sabo: Reichard was a teammate, not just a kicker.
After Minnesota drafted him, Reichard said he knew of that setup with kickers, and it wasn’t for him.
“Kickers can be seen in that type of way to where they’re not connected to the team,” Reichard said, “and that’s not really something that I wanted to be. I wanted to be somebody who was super-connected to the team. Being a leader at Alabama helped me a lot because I could make connections with other players, root them on, be their biggest cheerleader when they’re on the field, so just making those connections to stay involved.
“And then I think as a kicker, too, everybody can see your work ethic, and just seeing how hard you work, I think they kind of have respect for guys who work hard at any position.”
“It’s crazy that we’re going to be teammates again,” Reichard said of Turner. “It’s awesome. He’s a great player. I love him to death.
“And then Khyree, actually it’s kind of funny. We were really good friends at Alabama and then we saw each other again at the Senior Bowl and now we’re teammates again, so it’s awesome.”
Reichard had something else on his resume that none of the other available kickers did.
“Kicking for coach (Nick) Saban, that’s not an easy chore,” Sabo said, “and he handled that.”
Reichard said spending five years with Saban at Alabama had helped him reach his goal of being drafted.
“He demands a lot of competitiveness and great play for every position, not just quarterbacks and receivers,” Reichard said. “He demands that type of success from every position. But I’ve learned a lot from coach Saban, and I’m really happy that I went to Alabama. I feel like I really developed a lot as a player and as a person.”
Reichard joins John Parker Romo as the kickers on Minnesota’s roster. Romo signed with the Vikings on March 13. He’s been on the rosters of the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears without appearing in a regular-season game.
Romo was the All-XFL kicker in the 2023 season, when he made 17-of-19 field-goal attempts, with a long of 57 yards, for the San Antonio Brahmas. The XFL did not kick extra points.
Greg Joseph has handled the Vikings’ kicking duties for the past three seasons. In 2023, Joseph made 24-of-30 field-goal attempts and 36-of-38 extra-point tries. But in March, he signed with the Green Bay Packers.
“Obviously, this is a guy who competed at the highest level, been a part of a championship program, five years doing it,” Daniels said of Reichard. “He’s had a lot of success there, faced a lot of adversity, come through in the biggest and highest of pressure situations. …
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