Ben Sauls, one of the most prolific kickers in Pitt history, had an official predraft visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday.
Sauls does not count against the 30-player limit because he attended a “local” college.
Although the Steelers are set at kicker with Chris Boswell, they do bring a second kicker to training camp. Sauls, though, could be drafted based on what he did in 2024.
The 5-foot-10, 182-pound kicker led the Panthers in scoring with 107 points. He made 21 of 24 field-goal attempts and converted all 44 extra points. He was second in the ACC with 1.62 field goals per game, and his 87.5% field-goal accuracy ranked fourth in the conference.
What has put Sauls on NFL teams’ radar is his long-range ability. He converted 6 of 7 field goals from 50-plus yards as a senior, setting a school record. He tied the school record for longest field goal when he made a 58-yarder against Cal. He also made a pair of 57-yard attempts.
Sauls finished third in school history for points by a kicker with 278.
He was invited to the East-West Shrine Game and was one of four kickers to attend the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein gave a favorable review of Sauls.
“Full-menu kicking prospect whose best season was his last with Pitt,” Zierlein wrote. “Sauls has the hang-time and distance to prevent kick returns and displayed newfound deep-kick accuracy in 2024. His range helps, but teams might have to tinker with his approach and operation quickness, as it could make him vulnerable to blocks in the league.”
