The Patriots drafted a pair of franchise kickers in the fourth and sixth round

The New England Patriots drafted a pair of kickers, a kicker, and a punter in the fourth and sixth rounds of the NFL Draft, becoming the first team to do so in 23 years.

When the Patriots were on the clock in the fourth round after drafting center Jake Andrews, they traded up eight spots to draft Maryland kicker Chad Ryland 112th overall.

In his only season at Maryland, Ryland connected on 94.1 percent of his kicks from inside 50 yards. After that, he spent the first three years of his career kicking for Eastern Michigan, where he became the best in school history.

He is EMU’s career leader in PATs made (141), and PATs attempted (145), career points scored (309), and is second in school history with 56 career field goals made. Ryland should be the replacement for 38-year-old Nick Folk.

Two rounds later, the Patriots drafted Michigan State’s big-leg punter Bryce Baringer in the sixth round, 192nd overall.

Baringer is the most successful punter in Michigan State history. He holds the school record for the highest career average yards per punt at 46.0, the best in Big-Ten history, and the single-season average of 49.0.

What stood out for the Patriots is how precise Baringer is with his punts. He finished his career with 64 punts of 50-plus yards and 55 punts landing inside the 20-yard line.

Baringer will become the No.1 punter in New England after the Patriots cut Jake Bailey in March. Baringer was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award and was viewed by many as the top punter prospect in the draft.

The Patriots surprised many people by trading up to select Ryland and then two rounds later drafting Baringer, but they are two of the best in the draft at what they do, and the Patriots filled two key holes by drafting them.

If all goes well, we should expect both Ryland and Baringer to be in New England for a long time, becoming franchise kickers.