2017 NFL Average Kickoff Distance Leaders

The average length of a specialist's kickoffs in yards, from the kicking spot to where the ball was caught or crossed the goal line. Onside kicks are left out.

A touchback counts the full distance to the goal line, so a deep kick and a kick into the end zone score the same. In 2017, Wil Lutz (65.3) led NFL kickoff specialists in average kickoff distance, ahead of Nick Rose (64.9) and Sam Martin (64.8). 35 kickoff specialists qualify (minimum 30 kickoffs). The median qualified kickoff specialist had 63.5.

NFL rule from 2016 to 2023: a kickoff touchback started the receiving team at its 25 (from 2023 a fair catch inside the 25 did too), so a deep kick into the end zone was the safe, standard result. Kickoff Points Added accounts for the rule, so it is the fair way to compare kickoff specialists across leagues and seasons.

Final 2017 regular-season numbers, updated October 23, 2026.

Rk	Player	Team	Avg dist	Kickoffs	TB%	Returns	Points
1	Wil Lutz	New Orleans Saints	65.3	91	64%	32	+0.8
2	Nick Rose	Washington Commanders	64.9	45	71%	13	+1.3
3	Sam Martin	Detroit Lions	64.8	50	50%	25	+6.7
4	Ryan Succop	Tennessee Titans	64.6	79	59%	32	+1.3
5	Graham Gano	Carolina Panthers	64.6	82	85%	12	−3.6
6	Matt Bosher	Atlanta Falcons	64.4	82	60%	33	−4.4
7	Dan Bailey	Dallas Cowboys	64.4	56	57%	24	+5.4
8	Dustin Hopkins	Washington Commanders	64.3	40	73%	11	+2.4
9	Giorgio Tavecchio	Las Vegas Raiders	64.2	63	76%	15	+0.9
10	Harrison Butker	Kansas City Chiefs	64.2	78	78%	17	−0.9
11	Connor Barth	Chicago Bears	64.2	37	46%	20	−5.3
12	Bradley Pinion	San Francisco 49ers	64.1	79	81%	14	+1.1
13	Chandler Catanzaro	New York Jets	64.0	67	67%	22	+1.3
14	Greg Zuerlein	Los Angeles Rams	63.9	95	77%	20	−1.9
15	Cody Parkey	Miami Dolphins	63.8	62	45%	34	+5.8
16	Ka'imi Fairbairn	Houston Texans	63.6	74	66%	25	+1.0
17	Kai Forbath	Minnesota Vikings	63.5	88	50%	44	−4.2
18	Stephen Gostkowski	New England Patriots	63.5	98	41%	58	+9.2
19	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	63.4	88	63%	33	+0.2
20	Rigoberto Sanchez	Indianapolis Colts	63.3	69	67%	23	−0.4
21	Chris Boswell	Pittsburgh Steelers	63.1	90	51%	43	+2.9
22	Mike Nugent	Dallas Cowboys	62.8	36	50%	18	+5.9
23	Jake Elliott	Philadelphia Eagles	62.7	83	51%	40	−0.5
24	Blair Walsh	Seattle Seahawks	62.7	77	51%	37	+9.0
25	Randy Bullock	Cincinnati Bengals	62.6	65	46%	34	−2.4
26	Patrick Murray	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	62.6	57	25%	43	−1.4
27	Zane Gonzalez	Cleveland Browns	62.4	52	63%	19	−6.9
28	Brandon McManus	Denver Broncos	62.3	66	68%	21	−8.1
29	Aldrick Rosas	New York Giants	62.2	60	43%	32	+0.7
30	Mason Crosby	Green Bay Packers	62.0	68	53%	32	−2.9
31	Jason Myers	Jacksonville Jaguars	61.9	34	76%	7	−8.4
32	Phil Dawson	Arizona Cardinals	61.4	75	47%	40	+1.9
33	Stephen Hauschka	Buffalo Bills	61.2	70	53%	33	−3.1
34	Josh Lambo	Jacksonville Jaguars	59.8	55	40%	33	−1.5
35	Nick Novak	Los Angeles Chargers	59.5	34	26%	25	−2.1

All 2017 NFL kickoff specialist rankings

Average Kickoff Distance in other seasons: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2016

More 2017 NFL kickoff specialist leaderboards

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