Latest news with #Borregales
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Patriots looked for these 3 traits in drafting ‘level-headed' new kicker
In the sixth-round of April's NFL Draft, the Patriots selected Andy Borregales, making the Miami product the first kicker chosen in 2025. A Venezuela native, Borregales put together a terrific career for the Hurricanes, making 74 of 86 field goals (86%) and going 18 for 19 as a senior (94.7%) with a long of 56 yards. Advertisement Ahead of Monday's OTA, special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer outlined three traits that led the Patriots to drafting Borregales. 'Consistency, right? First and foremost, they've gotta make kicks. He did that throughout his career,' Springer said. 'So consistency was No. 1, then just the type of kid he is, the type of character, and then the overall ability. Does he have the ability to get better?' When meeting with Borregales in the pre-draft process, there was one thing that jumped out to Springer about his demeanor. 'Level-headed. Level-headed,' Springer repeated. 'Never too big, never too small of a moment for him. I think in that case, you like those type of guys that, they don't overthink. They go out there and do their job. They're consistent.' Advertisement Though taken in the sixth round, it's not a slam dunk that Borregales will be New England's starting kicker when Week 1 rolls around. The 22-year-old will need to earn that job and he's currently competing with John Parker Romo, a veteran who has spent time with five different NFL organizations. This spring, Borregales has been the stronger of the two in practices open to the media. 'Parker and Andy are doing a great job,' Springer said. 'They're competing right now and they both know it's a competition. It's a healthy competition. They're both helping each other out... they're fitting right in, doing a great job.' More Patriots Content Read the original article on MassLive.
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Patriots rookie Andres Borregales putting best foot forward early in kicking competition with veteran John Parker Romo
Advertisement It's no surprise to University of Miami special teams coordinator Danny Kalter, who predicts Patriots fans will 'fall in love' with the 5-foot-11-inch, 199-pound Borregales, who has a penchant for big kicks while earning the nickname 'Automatic Andy.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'He'll be talking [expletive] as a kicker and making big kicks and getting the crowd involved,' Kalter said of Borregales, who made 75 percent of his field goal chances from 50-plus over the last two seasons with the Hurricanes. 'He'll be as fun a kicker as you can root for. And his teammates will love him. He won't be hanging out over by the kicking net during the games. He's going to be in there, cheering on the offense and defense. 'I think from a fan perspective, they'll fall in love with his personality and his swagger. He doesn't carry himself as a prototypical kicker. And it's easy to fall for a guy like that when he's putting the ball between the uprights at the rate he does.' Advertisement Borregales has a résumé that suggests he could Andres Borregales connected on 86 percent of his field goal attempts at the University of Miami, including a career-high 94.7 percent as a senior. Adrian Kraus/Associated Press The 22-year-old Borregales, who acknowledged the history of New England's 'legendary kickers' when he spoke with reporters shortly after he was drafted, was the first kicker taken this year, 182nd overall. 'We decided to jump in there with Andres when we did, and feel pretty comfortable with that,' executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said shortly after the pick was made. 'We felt like Andres was good value there, and he was a player that was ranked high on our board.' Kicking runs in the Borregales family. Andres is the younger brother of Jose Borregales, a fellow Miami alum and winner of the 2020 Lou Groza Award, given to the best college kicker in the country. Kalter said that's one reason Andres Borregales he has the mental and physical makeup to succeed in the NFL. 'The Patriots got a kid who is a great competitor,' Kalter said. 'Personality-wise, he's not your typical kicker. Andy proved himself that when he started playing, he was a football player first, and that propelled him to be the best kicker in the country last year. He's a fierce competitor with a great mind-set when it comes to letting missing go, and self-evaluation and all of it. Advertisement 'That comes from his family. His brother Jose was a great kicker, and Andy came right up in the same footsteps. That's the mind-set he brings to the job every day.' Related : Kalter said that if Borregales trusts the form he worked to craft the last few seasons, the Patriots' choice will pay dividends. 'He's the most complete kicker I've ever been around,' said Kalter. 'He just needs to trust in his leg and his incredible technique that he's honed the last few years. Just trust in himself. 'The Patriots don't just have a kicker. They have a true football player.' Christopher Price can be reached at
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Patriots draft top kicker in 2025 NFL Draft
There will be a kicker competition in New England this offseason. With their first pick in the sixth round, the Patriots drafted kicker Andres Borregales out of Miami with pick 182. Mike Vrabel's team made Borregales the first kicker selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. Advertisement That wasn't a complete surprise. Regarded as the best placekicker in this draft, Borregales has a massive leg and the Patriots had pre-draft interest in him. Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer was on hand at Miami's Pro Day to see Borregales kick. On that day, he hit a 65-yarder in front of scouts, coaches, and general managers. Borregales will come to Foxborough where he'll compete with kicker John Parker Romo for the job. Borregales was consistent in college, hitting 86% (74-of-86) of his field goal attempts over the last four seasons. He had a 94.7% field goal percentage (18-of-19) last season at Miami. Borregales also has a huge leg, connecting on 7-of-10 kicks from 50 yards or more during his collegiate career. He was also perfect (11-of-11) between 20-39 yards for the Hurricanes last fall. Borregales hit 99.5% (183-of-184) of his extra point attempts over the last four years. Advertisement The Patriots hope Borregales will fix their kicking woes. He's the third kicker drafted in New England since the 2019 season. The Patriots drafted Justin Rohrwasser in the fifth round in 2020 and Chad Ryland in the fourth round in 2023. Neither lasted long in New England. Rohrwasser lost out to Nick Folk, who was great in Foxborough. In 2023, Ryland struggled, finishing last in the NFL in field goal percentage. That led to Joey Slye taking over last season. He made 78.8% of his field goal attempts. Slye signed with Tennessee this offseason. Now, Borregales will compete with Parker Romo, who made 11-of-12 field goal attempts last season with Minnesota. More Patriots Content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kicker drafted by New England Patriots is a ‘weapon,' ESPN analyst says
Kickers don't normally get a lot of praise during the NFL Draft broadcast. But Andres Borregales is a special case. The New England Patriots made Borregales the highest-drafted kicker this year, taking the Miami product with the sixth pick of the sixth round. Advertisement Borregales drew some high praise form the ESPN broadcast. Longtime draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. called Borregales 'automatic.' Meanwhile, NFL analyst Louis Riddick called the Miami product a 'weapon.' 'He was money all season long,' Riddick said. 'I was down at his pro day and watching him kick. It was like the ball was exploding every time he touched it. I mean, kicking that thing high into the net 50, 55-plus. Yeah, they've got a weapon right there.' The line about Borregales being a 'weapon' is reminiscent of some famous comments made by Bill Belichick while gushing over a punter. That would be former Los Angeles Rams punter Johnny Hekker. Back in 2016, Belichick went out of his way to sing the praises of L.A.'s punter. Advertisement 'I mean, Hekker is a tremendous weapon,' Belichick said at the time. 'This guy's as good as any player I've ever seen at that position.' He didn't stop there. 'This guy, I mean, this guy's a weapon,' Belichick later added. 'I mean, he's not a good player. He's a weapon.' Two seasons later, when the Patriots faced the Rams in Super Bowl LIII, Belichick once again applied the label. 'Hekker's a tremendous player, a great athlete,' Belichick said at the time. 'He's a weapon.' Is Borregales on the same level as Hekker? We'll have to go down to Chapel Hill and ask him to find out. For now, the Patriots appear to have their kicker of the future. More Patriots Content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New Patriots kicker a source of pride for Venezuelan community
EDITOR'S NOTE: Este artículo lo puedes leer en español en El Planeta. FOXBOROUGH — Andres Borregales hasn't even attempted a kick in a preseason game for the Patriots, but he already has devoted fans. He hasn't met most of them yet, but the rookie reciprocates their affection. Advertisement Borregales, the Patriots' sixth-round draft pick in April, is part of a rare club of NFL players from Venezuela. He was born in Caracas and moved to the United States as a toddler. He grew up in South Florida and played for the University of Miami, where he became the top-rated kicker entering the draft. His arrival has been cause for excitement among New England's Venezuelan community, which includes quite a few Patriots fans. 'It's a big thing,' Borregales said. 'I'm excited to meet them at the games. I take pride in my heritage and where I was born. I'm excited.' Borregales, who uses Andres or Andy interchangeably, smiled. Advertisement 'I love them all,' he said. 'I've never met them, but I love them.' Cristina Aguilera Sandoval, a long-time Venezuelan community leader in Massachusetts and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office for Immigrants and Refugees, was excited when she heard Borregales was drafted. 'Everybody's cheering for him,' she said. 'We're looking forward to meeting him in New England and within the Venezuelan community in Massachusetts, which has grown exponentially in the past few years.' Daniel Oriadi, an oral surgeon at Tufts, shared her enthusiasm. Oriadi was born in the United States but spent much of his childhood in Venezuela. He returned in 2001 and moved to New England just in time for the Patriots' golden age. Advertisement The first game he watched was Tom Brady's debut after Drew Bledsoe was knocked out of the game by Mo Lewis in 2001. 'You can imagine, after learning more about football and seeing this guy take over as essentially a rookie and doing what he did. I was just hooked,' Oriadi said. 'Since then, I've been a die-hard fan.' He has high hopes for Borregales. 'Hopefully, he'll have a good future in the NFL,' he said. 'This is exciting to have him come to play at Gillette. You will see more Venezuelan flags than you would have seen in the past for every game. Kickers can play for a long time. For him to do that, and for people to be able to hear over that time that his background his from Venezuela, would be very, very good.' Advertisement Ruben J. Azocar is a doctor and the vice president of perioperative services at Beth Israel Deaconess and part of the faculty at Harvard Medical School. A former resident of Miami, he had already been rooting for Borregales at The U and was glad to see him coming to New England, where Red Sox fans have been cheering for Venezuelan baseball stars for decades, including current rightfielder Wilyer Abreu. 'The Patriots being so significant in New England and him coming from a very competitive team like the University of Miami is a point of pride,' Azocar said. 'It's a premier team. It's not like he's going to the Cleveland Browns, right?' All the Venezuelans in the NFL have been kickers: Advertisement Alan Pringle, who is from Los Taques, Venezuela, played one game for the Detroit Lions in 1973, but didn't attempt a field goal or extra point. Pat Ragusa of Caracas made two field goals and seven PATs for the Jets in 1987. Jose Borregales, Andres' brother, kicked for the Buccaneers in the 2021 preseason and had been on their practice squad but didn't make their active roster. Unlike those three, Borregales will go into Patriots training camp as a favorite to be the team's No. 1 kicker. Presuming he makes the Patriots roster, it won't take much for him to become the most accomplished of that group. According to the 2022 United States Census, there are approximately 814,000 Venezuelan immigrants living in the United States, including 7,266 in Massachusetts and 2,378 in Rhode Island. Immigrants and refugees from the South American nation have become a flashpoint in the heated immigration debate. President Donald Trump has alleged that representatives of the Venezuelan government have directed members of the gang Tren de Aragua to enter the United States as invaders. While reports in both the Washington Post and New York Times have used declassified intelligence memos to dispute any significant contact between the Venezuelan government and Tren de Aragua, the administration has used that as a pretense to deport Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act. Advertisement So with those concerns hanging over their heads, Borregales offers Venezuelans a bright spot. He's not just someone to root for on a local team who shares their roots, but he also represents a chance to celebrate and talk about Venezuela in non-political terms. 'Unfortunately, our country has been on this political nightmare for a while,' Azocar said. 'We're being kind of used as a poster for bad immigration or bad this and bad that. Maybe this can give a different twist to the Venezuelan image.' Oriadi had similar hopes. 'Being able to talk about Venezuela outside of politics and the negative things we've been associated with is always great,' Oriadi said. 'Andres gives the opportunity to think of our country outside of the political side. Advertisement 'We are well-known for being kind, good-hearted people who love to laugh and help,' he added. 'We'll welcome him with open arms and we'll be at Gillette when he plays here. Hopefully, he feels the Venezuelan love far away from his hometown.' Aguilera Sandoval hoped his success would help reshape the image of Venezuelans in America. '(His success) just shows the values that we're bringing to this country in a time where the Venezuelan community has been beat up by the national rhetoric, and all put kind of in the same negative bag,' she said. 'I think it shows that when families and individuals are coming to our country and coming to our state, it's to work hard and to contribute and to make us all proud.' Borregales appreciated the warmth. Advertisement 'It just shows the love they have for you,' said Borregales, who added that other Hispanics have embraced his arrival, too. 'As Hispanics, we see one Hispanic do something well and we jump on that train. I felt it once I got drafted. There's so much support from people who I never knew, but are from the same country. That's how Venezuelans are.' More Patriots Content Read the original article on MassLive.
