Hey, remember when Jake Moody made history?
Because in 2023, he was the first kicker taken before the hundredth pick in a nearly a decade. And since you're seeing this article just after he dropped a deuce in Week 1 of the 2025 season, you are probably also aware that the San Francisco 49ers cut him right after his 1/3 stinker against the Seattle Seahawks.
You know, for a team that had the vision to see what Brock Purdy could become after making him Mr. Irrelevant, their foresight should have served them way better than committing the cardinal sin of taking a kicker with the 99th pick. Especially since, for the past 20 years, most teams have largely gotten the memo.
The lesson?
Simple.
You can't predict kickers
Some would take ire with Dubow's tweet, including a responder that pointed out that going back even just one more year in draft injury would spit back Mike Nugent (47th overall, 81 FG%, 16 year career). But on the other hand, the consensus two greatest kickers of all time, Adam Vinatieri and Justin Tucker, joined the league as undrafted rookies. Meanwhile, as high-profile and odd as Moody's selection was on draft night, any attention not drawn to Trey Lance in 2023 was given to cornerback Darrell Luter, Jr.
And the worst part? It took the 49ers less than a week to replace Moody with a kicker that has a better body of work than he could have ever hoped for.
The lesson is simple:
Don't. Spend. Draft. Capital. On. Special. Teams.