P RYAN ECKLEY
On what his strengths as a punter are: "Yes, absolutely. For starters, [I am] fired up to get down there in Baltimore. And second, I think like we've talked about, power, placement of different kicks, and then being able to play the game within the game, whether that's spirals or 'banana punts' or 'hoax punts,' and all kinds of different punts in the game I think can really benefit us as a unit."
On if he spent any time with senior special teams coach Randy Brown before the draft: "Yes, [during the] pre-draft process, [senior special teams coach Randy Brown] came down to Tampa back at my high school, and we did a private workout, and it went really well. [He's] extremely knowledgeable within the game. 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. So, I think he knows a lot about what he's doing, and I'm really excited to learn more."
On how much he knows about the special teams history at the Ravens and what his strengths and weaknesses are: "Yes, to touch on the specialist lineage down in Baltimore, you have Sam [Koch], you have Jordan [Stout], some of the best two punters. Something I kind of did with the Michigan State where we had Bryce [Baringer] before me, and then we had a huge lineage of NFL partners come out of Michigan State. So, being able to follow that up is one – I love being able to represent such a special teams-proud team, which is awesome. The biggest thing I can work on – it's just the new NFL scheme. It's different than college, where college is just the formations can be a little more spread out, where the pro style of a punt is a little more compact. So, I think it'll be good to adjust to something like that and hopefully have a long career in that formation."
On his experience holding for a kicker and if he spoke with senior special teams coach Randy Brown about this during the pre-draft process: "Yes, absolutely. I held for all four years at Michigan State, and one of the big things punters talk about in the pre-draft process is that holding is just as important as kicking. You have to be a good holder, and you have to be able to service your kicker because they're scoring the points. So, being a good holder and a confident holder, and being able to work with your long snapper as an operation, I think is extremely important."
On why wearing the No. 3 has been important to him: "If that opportunity is presented to me, I would take it in a heartbeat. I know No. 3 is a pretty popular number, and specialists don't usually get the first pick, but I mean, if I was given the opportunity, I would take that in a heartbeat. No. 3 is something that has become really important to me, with my best friend who passed away and then the punter over at Michigan State, Mike Sadler, who passed away and also wore No. 3. Those are a couple really deep connections to me and relationships that I've grown that all were back to that number. So, I think that would be amazing."
On his on-field swagger and the joy of punting and where that comes from: "Yes, absolutely. A receiver scores a touchdown, and they get to celebrate in the end zone. I hit a really cool punt, I think I should be able to hit a little celebration, too, and have some fun with it. At the end of the day, you're playing the kids' game of football, and you have to make the most of it. And so, while I'm out there, I try to have as much fun as I can and still be a football player, especially because specialists get a bad rap of being weird or being nerdy. And it's like, 'No, I'm still out there lifting and working out with the rest of y'all, and I can hold my own.' So I want to show you all I'm going to have some fun out there too and have a little bit swag."
