The most decorated collegiate kicker to become an NFL bust
In short: Roberto Aguayo was once the gold standard of accuracy, leading the nation in scoring and winning the most prestigious award in his position. Yet, his transition to the professional ranks remains one of the most startling collapses in modern sports history.
At Florida State, Aguayo was a statistical titan. During his three-year collegiate career, he achieved a near-perfect record, connecting on all 198 of his extra point attempts and 69 of 78 field goal attempts. He achieved such supremacy that he secured the highest accuracy for an ACC kicker ever, placing third across all NCAA records. This peerless performance earned him the Lou Groza Award in 2013, the premier honor for collegiate placekickers.
Despite this pedigree, his entry into the NFL was marked by high expectations and unusual circumstances. In 2016, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him with the 59th overall pick in the second round—a remarkably high spot for a special teams player. He was the first kicker to be taken in the second round since Mike Nugent in 2005. His rookie contract included a $1.15 million signing bonus, reflecting the league's belief that he was a cornerstone talent.
The transition proved disastrous. Although he received NFC Special Teams Player of the Week accolades in 2016, his year concluded with the lowest field goal success rate in the NFL for kickers who tried over two shots. He managed only 22 for 31 on field goals, struggling significantly with distance. By 2017, his career stalled; he was waived by the Buccaneers after a poor preseason and spent the next four years moving between the practice squads and rosters of the Bears, Panthers, Chargers, and Patriots without ever seeing regular-season action again.
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