2017 NFL Punts Out of Bounds Percentage Leaders
The share of punts that crossed a sideline. A punt out of bounds cannot be returned and stops the clock, and it is what a punter wants when he is aiming for the corner.
Some are chosen and some are mistakes, and the record cannot tell which. In 2017, Johnny Hekker (24.6%) led NFL punters in punts out of bounds percentage, ahead of Brett Kern (21.3%) and Rigoberto Sanchez (19.0%). 32 punters qualify (minimum 30 punts). The median qualified punter had 8.9%.
Final 2017 regular-season numbers, updated October 23, 2026.
| Rk | Player | Team | OOB % | Punts | Avg | Net | In 20 | In 20 % | TB % | FC % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnny Hekker | Los Angeles Rams | 24.6% | 65 | 47.9 | 44.3 | 30 | 46% | 6% | 18% | +11.3 |
| 2 | Brett Kern | Tennessee Titans | 21.3% | 75 | 49.7 | 44.6 | 28 | 37% | 7% | 12% | +15.6 |
| 3 | Rigoberto Sanchez | Indianapolis Colts | 19.0% | 85 | 44.8 | 42.6 | 28 | 33% | 4% | 32% | +12.6 |
| 4 | Sam Koch | Baltimore Ravens | 19.0% | 85 | 44.8 | 40.3 | 40 | 47% | 4% | 21% | +0.7 |
| 5 | Brad Nortman | Jacksonville Jaguars | 17.2% | 88 | 44.1 | 38.9 | 29 | 33% | 10% | 29% | −10.8 |
| 6 | Jordan Berry | Pittsburgh Steelers | 14.1% | 64 | 43.2 | 39.8 | 26 | 41% | 3% | 38% | −1.7 |
| 7 | Chris Jones | Dallas Cowboys | 13.6% | 66 | 44.1 | 41.4 | 34 | 52% | 8% | 30% | +14.2 |
| 8 | Colton Schmidt | Buffalo Bills | 12.7% | 79 | 44.7 | 40.5 | 28 | 35% | 8% | 20% | +6.3 |
| 9 | Sam Martin | Detroit Lions | 12.2% | 41 | 43.4 | 37.6 | 13 | 32% | 15% | 29% | −9.4 |
| 10 | Thomas Morstead | New Orleans Saints | 11.7% | 60 | 47.0 | 42.2 | 26 | 43% | 3% | 30% | −0.7 |
| 11 | Justin Vogel | Green Bay Packers | 11.3% | 71 | 44.4 | 41.6 | 19 | 27% | 3% | 34% | −3.4 |
| 12 | Jon Ryan | Seattle Seahawks | 10.9% | 92 | 45.0 | 38.8 | 29 | 32% | 7% | 21% | −4.3 |
| 13 | Bradley Pinion | San Francisco 49ers | 10.7% | 75 | 43.4 | 41.2 | 31 | 41% | 1% | 31% | +7.6 |
| 14 | Donnie Jones | Philadelphia Eagles | 10.4% | 68 | 45.3 | 40.6 | 21 | 31% | 7% | 21% | +0.2 |
| 15 | Ryan Quigley | Minnesota Vikings | 9.9% | 71 | 42.2 | 39.2 | 29 | 41% | 0% | 46% | −7.1 |
| 16 | Pat O'Donnell | Chicago Bears | 9.2% | 87 | 47.0 | 39.7 | 27 | 31% | 7% | 17% | +2.3 |
| 17 | Shane Lechler | Houston Texans | 8.7% | 92 | 49.0 | 41.3 | 32 | 35% | 5% | 24% | −1.2 |
| 18 | Marquette King | Las Vegas Raiders | 8.7% | 69 | 47.4 | 42.7 | 28 | 41% | 9% | 22% | +22.4 |
| 19 | Ryan Allen | New England Patriots | 8.6% | 58 | 43.4 | 40.5 | 24 | 41% | 5% | 24% | +7.8 |
| 20 | Lac Edwards | New York Jets | 8.5% | 94 | 46.6 | 40.5 | 33 | 35% | 4% | 24% | −10.4 |
| 21 | Michael Palardy | Carolina Panthers | 8.5% | 71 | 46.0 | 42.4 | 25 | 35% | 6% | 30% | +1.3 |
| 22 | Kevin Huber | Cincinnati Bengals | 8.0% | 89 | 46.6 | 40.8 | 32 | 36% | 3% | 26% | −12.1 |
| 23 | Bryan Anger | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7.7% | 66 | 44.0 | 39.5 | 24 | 36% | 8% | 32% | +8.9 |
| 24 | Dustin Colquitt | Kansas City Chiefs | 7.7% | 65 | 45.2 | 41.1 | 29 | 45% | 8% | 34% | +11.6 |
| 25 | Matt Bosher | Atlanta Falcons | 7.5% | 53 | 44.9 | 40.8 | 19 | 36% | 4% | 42% | −4.8 |
| 26 | Brad Wing | New York Giants | 7.4% | 97 | 44.1 | 36.7 | 19 | 20% | 9% | 21% | −36.2 |
| 27 | Matt Haack | Miami Dolphins | 7.2% | 83 | 44.5 | 40.7 | 30 | 36% | 6% | 24% | +7.8 |
| 28 | Riley Dixon | Denver Broncos | 6.8% | 75 | 45.6 | 40.2 | 23 | 31% | 4% | 32% | −10.1 |
| 29 | Andy Lee | Arizona Cardinals | 6.8% | 88 | 47.3 | 39.7 | 29 | 33% | 9% | 15% | −5.7 |
| 30 | Britton Colquitt | Cleveland Browns | 6.3% | 81 | 47.6 | 40.6 | 24 | 30% | 3% | 16% | −6.3 |
| 31 | Tress Way | Washington Commanders | 6.0% | 83 | 45.7 | 39.0 | 33 | 40% | 7% | 31% | −12.4 |
| 32 | Drew Kaser | Los Angeles Chargers | 5.4% | 74 | 48.1 | 41.3 | 27 | 36% | 12% | 8% | +2.8 |
Punts Out of Bounds Percentage in other seasons: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2016
More 2017 NFL punter leaderboards
- Punts
- Punting Yards
- Gross Punting Average
- Net Punting Average
- Punts Inside the 20
- Inside the 20 Percentage
- Longest Punts
- Punt Touchbacks
- Fair Catches Forced
- Punts Downed
- Punts Out of Bounds
- Punts Returned
- Punt Return Yards Allowed
- Average Punt Return Allowed
- Blocked Punts
- Punt Points Added
- Punt Points per 100 Punts
- Fair Catch Percentage
- Punt Touchback Percentage
- Touchbacks Avoided (STOP Rank)
- Punts Downed Percentage
- Punt Return Percentage
- Return Yards Allowed per Punt
- Opponent Starting Field Position
- Punts Inside the 10
- Punts of 50+ Yards
- 50+ Yard Punt Percentage
- Inside-20 to Touchback Ratio
- Net Average in Opponent Territory
- Net Average in Cold Weather
- Net Average in Wind
Other 2017 NFL rankings
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