The New England Patriots filled an empty slot on the team’s roster after drafting kicker Justin Rohrwasser with the No. 159 pick.
New England released Stephen Gostkowski after 14 seasons with the team and they released the kickers they used to replace him last season. Rohrwasser out of Marshall currently has no competition for the starting role and he’ll attempt to follow the path of Gostkowski and Adam Vinatieri — who collectively filled the Patriots’ roster since 1996.
Rohrwasser made 18 of 21 attempts last season with a long of 53 yards. He totaled 79 of 82 extra point attempts in two seasons at Marshall and made 33 of 42 field goals. What really stood out about Rohrwasser was his ability to make long-range kicks.
The Patriots are used to reliability and big-moment kickers and Bill Belichick is trusting Rohrwasser to step into that role. New England selected a specialist in the fifth round last year with punter Jake Bailey and he turned out to be one of the best rookies to walk into Gillette Stadium in recent years.
New England addressed the linebacker, tight end and now kicker positions so far in this draft — quarterback is the only major hole to fill.
