The Ravens found their next punter as they drafted Ryan Eckley out of Michigan State in the sixth round (No. 211).
Baltimore needed a punter after Pro Bowler Jordan Stout departed for the New York Giants in free agency.
Here are five things to know about Eckley:
He's a do-it-all punter.
Eckley has a rare combination of power and placement.
He was the Big Ten Punter of the Year and a third-team All-American. He was the top punter in the draft, per The Athletic's Dane Brugler, and the first punter drafted in the 2026 class.
The Ravens selected Stout in the fourth round in 2022, making him the earliest punter drafted since Bryan Anger in 2012. Now, Baltimore invested again in Eckley, who is a do-it-all punter.
Eckley led the FBS with 48.5 yards per punt in 2025. He finished his career with a punting average of 47.6 yards, ranking No. 1 in Big Ten history.
He has a big leg. Last season, Eckley led the Big Ten in punts of 50+ yards during the regular season with 23. He had a long of 60 yards.
Along with the power, Eckley punts with good touch and buried many opponents deep in their own territory last season. Eckley had 20 punts downed inside the 20-yard line and 10 inside the 10, including four at the 1-yard line.
"[My strengths are] power, placement of different kicks, and then being able to play the game within the game, whether that's spirals or banana punts, or hooks – the different punts in the game that can really benefit us as a unit," Eckley said.
An important part of the game is also being a holder, which Eckley did for all four years in college. The other top punter in this year's draft, Georgia's Brett Thorson, did not hold.
"One of the big things punters talk about in the pre-draft process is holding is just as important as kicking," Eckley said. "You have to be able to service your kicker because they're scoring the points."
He had a private workout with Randy Brown.
Senior Special Teams Coach Randy Brown scoured the country last year looking for the Ravens' next kicker (Tyler Loop), and he did it again this year looking for Baltimore's next punter.
Eckley said Brown came down to his high school in Tampa, Fla., for a private workout that he said "went really well."
"I think the biggest win going here to Baltimore is that I'll become a better punter playing under a coach that knows so much about punting and the game within the game and how to use me to the best of my ability," Eckley said. "He knows a lot about what he's doing and I'm really excited to learn more."
He loves continuing the Ravens' strong specialist history.
The Ravens have a long history of excellent specialists and Eckley is excited to continue that lineage.
Sam Koch spent 16 seasons as Baltimore's punter before handing the reins to Stout, who developed into a Pro Bowler in his fourth year.
"I love being able to represent such a special teams-proud team," Eckley said.
Michigan State also has a strong punter history, as Bryce Baringer was selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round in 2023.
He has some swagger.
Eckley loves punting. He said he can't imagine a life in which he doesn't punt anymore.
When he pinned an opponent at the 1-yard line last season, he did a Pat McAfee-like strut down the field.
"A receiver scores a touchdown, they get to celebrate in the end zone. I hit a really cool plot, I think I should be able to hit a little celebration too," Eckley said. "At the end of the day, you're playing a kid's game of football, and you've got to make the most of it. When I'm out there, I try to have as much fun as I can and still be a football player.
"Specialists sometimes get a bad rap of being weird or being nerdy. No, I'm still out here lifting and working out with the rest of you all. I can hold my own. So I'm going to have some fun out there too and have a little bit of swag."
He's driven by the death of one of his best friends.
One of Eckley's best friends, Bradley Hulett, tragically passed away when Eckley was 16 years old in 2019 from an accidental gunshot.
"It's one of those things where you have to grow up earlier than you want to," Heckley said in a Big Ten Network story.
Heckley wore No. 3 in high school to honor Hulett, who donned the same number in basketball.
