In the immortal words of NFL Networks, host, Rich Eisen, “Kickers are people too”. Taking it a step further, a bad kicker can ruin a season, while a great one can help bring a championship to your city. Which leads me to our subject, Simon Mathiesen. After speaking to him about a month ago, when his Draft journey, was kicking off (See what I did there), we quickly learned that he was more than a person, that he was an extraordinary talent.
The Northwest Missouri State University product, stands at a strong 6’4, 190 lbs, and has the skill set to be a weapon. Originally from Vedbaek, Denmark, the star Kicker was brought in to the program to be a wideout and later moved over to his special teams spot.
Speaking to a few different scouts across the league, you begin to get a sense that Simon isn’t just another Kicker. We talked to a representative from two different teams to get a little more of an idea about the young prospect.
“Football is a three team sport, in that we have Offense, Defense, and we have Special Teams. If you have a bad kicker, he can ruin your season. A good one will win you a few games. Simon is that kind of kid. When you watch him play, and you talk to him, he thrives on pressure. Most kids in this situation would fold up and give in, he seems to like being in that situation.” One Seattle scout said of his film study on Simon.
“Looking at Simon, you think he is a corner, or safety at first. He has the athletic build, but then you see him kick and you get excited. What I think stands out most on him, is he is still relatively new to the game of football. He came to college to be a wideout and here he is kind of learning on the fly.
He is impressive in every sense for him being so new… it’s hard to tell. He can really kick that thing, strong leg, well prepared, and he played playoff football his whole college career. So there is that, there is that pressure of kicking in a game where it really matters. Not to say other games don’t, but we are talking playoff football, anytime you can get a prospect that has that experience, it is a great thing.” (Raiders)
We later sat back down with Mathiesen to talk about his journey up until now, and what it meant to spend time with one of the greatest Kickers of all time, Hall of famer, Morten Andersen.
“Man, it has been crazy, it really has, but I love it. I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about kicking, from this whole experience, that I will be able to apply to my NFL career. I have loved going to work outs, working out for all these scouts and coaches, it is amazing. I never thought I would be here like this, but here I am, in this situation and I plan on continuing to make the best of it.
“As far as meeting Morten Andersen and him putting all that knowledge out there for me, I couldn’t of asked for a better mentor. He was awesome. He understands what I am going through right now, so I soaked up every bit of advice he had for me, everything he said, I took it down, I wanted to know everything. He was so great right from the start and the fact that he knew who I was, was crazy to me. It was a dream come true for me.”
Continuing on, he spoke about the talks with scouts up until this point and a little of the advice (Morten) Andersen gave him.
“The talks with scouts are basic I guess, they seem to like what I can do. Some more excited than others, but I take it all the same. Until I am on a roster, I will just continue on with this process, the way me and my trainers, and agent (Scott N. Bergman) have been doing.
I can’t give you everything Morten, said to me. He gave me some stuff that is just for us, you know? …but he did say to be myself, no matter what the situation, be myself. This whole situation can make it easy to lose yourself and he was a friendly reminder of that, he has been a great mentor to me, a great friend. He truly is a hall of famer, the ultimate professional.”
The Eagles, don’t have an immediate need at the Kicker position, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t looking to add depth, or upgrade. When a player of Mathiesen’s, pedigree comes around, you should always put an extra eye on him, and I can guarantee the Eagles, scouts are paying attention.
Mandatory Photo Credit: AP Photo/St. Joseph News-Press, Sait Serkan Gurbuz
