The Jets have signed Braden Mann, their sixth-round selection, 191st overall, out of Texas A&M in the 2020 NFL Draft.
"I knew the Jets were going to be one of the three teams looking to get a punter," Mann told team reporters, "so I knew they were going to be in the mix somewhere. When I saw the call from New Jersey [during Round 6], I got super-pumped about it. I was really excited to have the opportunity to go to the Jets."
Mann (5'11", 198) won the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter and earned unanimous All-America honors after his first year handling the Aggies' punting duties in 2018. He set the NCAA record with 51.0 yards/punt and posted a 44.7 net average while placing 19 of 50 punts inside the 20-yard line and forcing 11 fair catches.
Last season he was named second-team AP All-American and first-team All-SEC after averaging 47.1 yards/punt, which ranked in the top five nationally, and a 40.8-yard net. He placed 26 of 57 punts inside the 20, had only four touchbacks, and also contributed seven tackles in coverage.
Mann, who was one of the top specialist prospects in the 2016 recruiting class, became the A&M punter only after spending his first two seasons as the team's kickoff specialist.
"I was the four-year starter at kickoffs and the two-year starter at punter, so I did more kicking off than I did punting in college," Mann explained. "I'm pretty comfortable with it and absolutely, if the Jets want me to do kickoffs, I'll be more than happy to do them."
