Daniel Carlson (American football)
Daniel Vilhelm Carlson (born January 23, 1995) is an American football placekicker for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Auburn and is the all time scoring leader in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Carlson was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He is currently the tallest kicker in the NFL.
Carlson in the 2019 NFL season | |||||||||||||
No. 2 – Las Vegas Raiders | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Placekicker | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Colorado Springs, Colorado | January 23, 1995||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs, Colorado) | ||||||||||||
College: | Auburn | ||||||||||||
NFL Draft: | 2018 / Round: 5 / Pick: 167 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of 2019 | |||||||||||||
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Early life
Carlson was born on January 23, 1995 to Hans and Jodie Carlson. Carlson has an older brother named Nils and a younger brother Anders who is the kicker at Auburn.[1]
High school career
Carlson attended The Classical Academy before college.[2]
College career
Under head coach Gus Malzahn, he never missed an extra point in his collegiate career with the Auburn Tigers.[3] He is the all-time leading scorer in SEC football history.[4]
Collegiate statistics
Daniel Carlson | Kicking | Punting | |||||||||||||
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Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | XPM | XPA | XP% | FGM | FGA | FG% | Pts | Punts | Yds | Avg |
2014 | Auburn | SEC | FR | K | 13 | 57 | 57 | 100.0 | 18 | 24 | 75.0 | 111 | 8 | 317 | 39.6 |
2015 | Auburn | SEC | SO | K | 13 | 40 | 40 | 100.0 | 23 | 27 | 85.2 | 109 | 0 | 0 | |
2016 | Auburn | SEC | JR | K | 13 | 44 | 44 | 100.0 | 28 | 32 | 87.5 | 128 | 0 | 0 | |
2017 | Auburn | SEC | SR | K | 14 | 57 | 57 | 100.0 | 23 | 31 | 74.2 | 126 | 0 | 0 | |
Career | Auburn | 198 | 198 | 100.0 | 92 | 114 | 80.7 | 474 | 8 | 317 | 39.6 |
Professional career
Minnesota Vikings
Carlson was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round (167th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.[5] He was one of two kickers to be drafted that year, the other being Jason Sanders by the Miami Dolphins.[6]
In the offseason, he competed with veteran kicker Kai Forbath. Carlson won the job, and Forbath was released by the team on August 20, 2018.[7] He made his NFL debut in the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers and converted all three extra point attempts and one field goal attempt.[8] On September 16, 2018 in a game against the Green Bay Packers, Carlson missed one field goal in regulation and two in overtime resulting in a 29–29 tie.[9] The following day, Carlson was waived and replaced by veteran Dan Bailey.[10]
Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders
Carlson was signed by the Oakland Raiders on October 23, 2018, after the team released fellow rookie kicker Matt McCrane.[11] In his Raiders' debut in Week 8, he converted all four extra point attempts in a 42–28 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.[12] In Week 11, Carlson made two extra points and three field goals, including a 35-yard game winner as time expired, in a 23–21 win over the Arizona Cardinals, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[13]
Carlson went on to convert 94% of his field goal attempts for the Raiders in 2018, setting a new team record.[14]
On April 16, 2020, Carlson was re-signed to a one-year contract.[15]
Personal life
Carlson married Katherine Barker on January 13, 2018, in Birmingham, Alabama. The two met during their time at Auburn.[16]
References
- "A kicker's story: How Daniel Carlson found greatness at Auburn". AuburnUndercover. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- Kaniewski, Scott. "TCA's Daniel Carlson up for national award for charitable acts". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- "'Turncoat' Carlson represents Auburn's best chance of beating Alabama".
- Vitale, Josh (October 7, 2017). "Auburn kicker Daniel Carlson breaks career SEC scoring record". oanow.com. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- Bergman, Jeremy (April 28, 2018). "Vikings trade two picks to draft kicker Daniel Carlson". NFL.com. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- "2018 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- Smith, Eric (August 20, 2018). "Vikings Release Forbath, Place Aruna on IR, Announce Other Moves". Vikings.com.
- "Cousins, Vikings sharp in season-opening win". Bemidji Pioneer. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- "Vikings-Packers Ends in 29–29 Tie After Rookie Carlson Misses 2 Kicks in Overtime". KSTP. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- "Vikings Sign WR Aldrick Robinson, Waive K Daniel Carlson". Vikings.com. September 17, 2018.
- "Raiders Announce Transactions – 10.23.18". Raiders.com. October 23, 2018.
- "Raiders' Daniel Carlson: Collects four points in Raiders debut". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- Knoblach, Austin (November 21, 2018). "Samson Ebukam, Saquon Barkley among Players of the Week". NFL.com.
- Newby, John (June 13, 2019). "Daniel Carlson recaps unique rookie season". 24–7 Sports.
- Alper, Josh (April 16, 2020). "Daniel Carlson, Nathan Peterman sign tenders with Raiders". NBCSports.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- "'I liked her, and she liked me back': Auburn's star kicker prepares for his wedding day". The Auburn Plainsman. Retrieved October 2, 2018.