LAS VEGAS — The NFL’s annual Scouting Combine has been taking place this week in Indianapolis, and there’s a good argument to be made that Matt Burton should have been there.
Burton, however, has been busy this week in Las Vegas helping the Canterbury Bulldogs prepare for their season-opening match against the St. George Illawarra Dragons at 11:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.
The 25-year-old Australian rugby league star has a number of NFL scouts keeping a close eye on him as a punter in the league, which has had a number of highly successful punters over the years.
There are several Aussie punters active in the league, including Michael Dickson from the Seahawks, who just won the Super Bowl.
Burton wowed onlookers this week when he hit the 110-foot roof of the Raiders practice facility with a punt.
Las Vegas guard Caleb Rogers said in an interview this week that Raiders punter AJ Cole hasn’t even done that, saying, “We specifically built this indoor area to the height it is so we stay away from that issue.’’
Rogers said Burton’s kick “was really cool to see. I saw the video of his 68-yard kick, which was incredible. If [Burton] wanted to get into [the NFL], it would be a great story. If he wanted to come over here, someone is going to give him a chance.”
Dickson, speaking to the Australian Associated Press, agreed with Rogers’ assertion.
“I’m sure he could do it,” the Seattle punter said. “It’s quite different to Aussie Rules and [rugby] league. The sweet spot [on the ball] is completely different. He would eventually find the sweet spot kicking an NFL ball. [In the NFL], you might only get three or four punts a game, and if one or two of them aren’t perfect, then 50 percent of your game wasn’t up to standard.
“It’s very easy to hit one good punt. But it’s really quite difficult to have a year where out of 70 punts, 65 of them are really good punts. That’s a very hard thing to do. You’ve got to have a big leg, and you have to be somewhat delusional in the game. A lot of the time, you’re going out there when the game’s not going well, the offense wasn’t doing their thing. You need to go out there and think, ‘I’m about to flip this game.’ ’’
NFL scouts are interested in Burton, but his current contract expires at the end of the 2027 season.