Browns: 10 Greatest undrafted free agents since 1999
By Chad Porto
P Jamie Gillan (2020)
Most kickers and punters are undrafted free agents, so it’s not that surprising that Jamie Gillan is on the list. Entering his third year on the team, Gillan rose to fame as a rookie for his long locks and his impressive nickname as the Scottish Hammer. As a native of Scotland, Gillan came from a ruby background, a sport he played while in Scotland.
After his father moved to the United States as part of his Royal Airforce assignment, Gillan took up football instead and became very successful in college. During his pre-draft workout, Gillan reportedly was kicking the balls so hard that he popped three of them.
Gilland a big rookie year, averaging 46.2 yards per punt, which was good enough for 10th in the league. While he demonstrated a big leg and great accuracy, the problem with your punter having a good year is that it’s a sign your offense didn’t. Often times you’re kicking from deep in the opposing team’s half and you’re looking to get as much distance as possible on your punts.
In 2020, his stats dropped because the offense got better. Now he was kicking past the 50-yard line and was trying to keep opposing teams inside the 20-yard line, so his average dropped to 44.0.
Still, despite that, he has only had one punt blocked and has shown an incredible ability to do his job. Gillan should be around for a long time.