Braden Mann
No. 10 – Philadelphia Eagles
Position:Punter
Personal information
Born: (1997-11-24) November 24, 1997 (age 26)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:198 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school:Cy-Fair
(Cypress, Texas)
College:Texas A&M (2016–2019)
NFL draft:2020 / Round: 6 / Pick: 191
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Punts:250
Punting yards:11,552
Punting average:46.2
Longest punt:72
Inside 20:75
Player stats at PFR

Braden Mann (born November 24, 1997) is an American football punter for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies. During his junior season, he received unanimous All-American honors and won the Ray Guy Award. He also broke the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) records for single-game punting average, single-season punts of 60-plus yards and single-season punting average.

Early years

Mann played kicker and punter at Cy-Fair High School in Cypress, Texas, under the tutelage of head coach Ed Pustejovsky, a former Texas A&M football player. As a junior, Mann scored 7-of-10 field goals (with a long of 49 yards) and 46-of-48 extra points. He was named to the 2014 Houston Chronicle All-Greater Houston team.[1] As a senior, he scored 25-of-25 extra points and recorded a 45-yard punting average on 41 punts.[2] Following his senior season, Mann played in the Under Armour All-America Game.[3]

Though Mann wanted to play linebacker in high school and college, he was not able to do so due to his size and injuries.[4] As a college football recruit, he was rated nationally as the number two kicker by Rivals.com[5] and the number five kicker by 247Sports.com.[6]

College career

Mann was primarily the kickoff specialist during his first two years at Texas A&M. During his freshman season, he averaged 63.9 yards on 76 kickoffs, and as a sophomore, he averaged 62.4 yards on 73 kickoffs. He was not the starting punter during his freshman year and only punted the ball twice during the season (two punts for 94 yards, or a 47.0 average). As a sophomore, he did not punt at all and made only one kicking attempt, which came when he missed a 43-yard field goal try in the season-opening 44–45 loss to UCLA.[7][8]

Following the graduation of veteran punter Shane Tripucka, Mann became the starting punter during the 2018 season, and made an immediate impact on the team. During the Alabama game, he broke the NCAA football bowl subdivision single-game record with a 60.8 punting average. The previous record of 60.4 was set in 1983 and matched in 2010.[9] During the Kentucky game, he recorded an 82-yard punt, which in Texas A&M punt history was the third-longest[10] and longest since 1944.[11] After the first six games, in October 2018, Mann received midseason All-America honors from the Associated Press,[12] Athlon Sports,[13] Sporting News,[14] Sports Illustrated,[15] CBS Sports,[16] USA Today,[17] and ESPN.[18] He also received praise from former NFL punter and pro bowler Pat McAfee.[19]

Mann continued to receive recognition for the remainder of his junior season. During the November 2018 game against University of Alabama at Birmingham, he made his 14th punt of 60 or more yards breaking the NCAA FBS single-season record set in 2005 by former Wake Forest punter Ryan Plackemeier.[20] Following the regular season, Mann received first-team all-SEC honors from the league's coaches[21] and the Associated Press[22] and was also named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year.[23] He picked up first team All-America honors from the Associated Press (AP),[24] American Football Coaches Association (AFCA),[25] Athlon Sports,[26] CBS Sports,[27] ESPN,[28] Football Writers Association of America (FWAA),[29] Sporting News,[30] Sports Illustrated,[31] Bleacher Report,[32] College Football News,[33] USA Today,[34] and Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF).[35] Since he earned All-America honors from all five NCAA-recognized selectors (AP, AFCA, FWAA, Sporting News, and WCFF), he became the 10th unanimous All-American from Texas A&M.[36] He also won the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top collegiate punter.[11]

Mann led the nation with his season punting average of 50.98 yards per punt. He broke the single-season punting average record of 50.28 set in 1997 by former LSU punter Chad Kessler.[37]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
5 ft 11+3⁄8 in
(1.81 m) 		198 lb
(90 kg) 		30 in
(0.76 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.83 s 1.70 s 2.82 s 4.13 s 7.03 s 31.0 in
(0.79 m)		 9 ft 3 in
(2.82 m)
All values from NFL Combine[38][39]

New York Jets

Mann was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round with the 191st overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.[40]

During the game against the Los Angeles Rams, Mann made a game-saving, open-field tackle on punt returner Nsimba Webster that helped seal the Jets' 23–20 victory.[41] The Jets finished the season 2–14. Mann compiled 3,598 total yards, with a 43.9 punting average. His 3,598 total yards made him the 2020 NFL punting yards leader.[42]

On September 14, 2021, Mann was placed on injured reserve.[43] He was activated on November 13.[44]

In Week 2 of the 2022 season, Mann had two punts inside the 20 with a long of 50 yards. He also had a 17-yard completion and had a successful onside kick in a 31-30 win over the Cleveland Browns, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[45]

On April 13, 2023, Mann was waived by the New York Jets.[46]

Pittsburgh Steelers

On April 17, 2023, Mann was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Steelers.[47]

On August 30, 2023, Mann was waived by the Steelers.[48]

Philadelphia Eagles

On September 18, 2023, Mann signed with the practice squad of the Philadelphia Eagles.[49] He was promoted to the active roster on October 12.[50]

On December 11, 2023, Mann faked a punt and threw a 28-yard completion to WR Olamide Zaccheaus in a 13-33 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

On March 12, 2024, Mann signed a two-year contract extension with the Eagles.[51]

References

  1. ^ Verdejo Jr., Angel (December 24, 2014). "The Chronicle's 2014 All-Greater Houston football team - HoustonChronicle.com". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 10, 2018.
  2. ^ Coleman, Adam (January 16, 2016). "Cy-Fair's Mann has a leg up on competition - HoustonChronicle.com". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  3. ^ Cook, Kevin (October 21, 2015). "Cy-Fair kicker Braden Mann selected to All-America Game". Chron. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  4. ^ "Texas A&M's Braden Mann takes over pressurized gig at 'Punter U'". Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  5. ^ "Braden Mann, 2016 Kicker". Rivals. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  6. ^ "2016 Top Kicker Recruits". 247Sports. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  7. ^ Ochoa, Abigail (October 12, 2018). "Aggies find unassuming star in junior Braden Mann, one of the best punters in the NCAA". The Battalion. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  8. ^ "Texas A&M vs. UCLA - Play-By-Play - September 3, 2017". ESPN. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  9. ^ "Texas A&M punter Braden Mann wins Ray Guy Award". KAGS. December 7, 2018. Archived from the original on December 8, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  10. ^ Zwerneman, Brent (October 12, 2018). "Mann making sure A&M is still 'Punter U'". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Zwerneman, Brent (December 6, 2018). "Texas A&M's Braden Mann, a Cy-Fair grad, wins Ray Guy Award as nation's top punter". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
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  37. ^ Perroni, Brian (December 31, 2018). "A&M's Mann officially breaks NCAA punting record". 247Sports. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  38. ^ "Braden Mann Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  39. ^ "2020 Draft Scout Braden Mann, Texas AM NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  40. ^ Mehta, Manish (April 25, 2020). "Jets draft Texas A&M punter Braden Mann in sixth round". New York Daily News. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  41. ^ Costello, Brian (December 26, 2020). "Jets punter's tackle may have massive Trevor Lawrence implications". New York Post. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  42. ^ "2020 NFL punts stats - Players".
  43. ^ Greenberg, Ethan; Allen, Eric (September 14, 2021). "Jets Sign 4 Players; Place 4 on Injured Reserve". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  44. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (November 13, 2021). "Jets Activate P Braden Mann, OL Conor McDermott; Place OL Chuma Edoga on IR". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  45. ^ Gordon, Grant (September 21, 2022). "Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
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  47. ^ Varley, Teresa (April 17, 2023). "Steelers sign Muse; claim Mann". Steelers.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  48. ^ "Steelers Cut Former Jets Punter". si.com. August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  49. ^ Ulrich, Logan (September 18, 2023). "Eagles Signing P Braden Mann To Practice Squad". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
  50. ^ "Eagles sign Braden Mann to the active roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. October 12, 2023.
  51. ^ "Eagles agree to terms with Rick Lovato, Braden Mann". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. March 12, 2024.

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