Hackett hopeful of NFL punting job

Tom Hackett is one of four Australians hoping to jump from stellar US college football careers to the NFL after impressing at the recent combine.

Australian punter Tom Hackett has dazzled NFL coaches and scouts with a pre-draft workout in Utah, despite admitting he runs "like a penguin".

Hackett, named US college football's best punter for the past two years, is known almost as much for his big, accurate boot as his comedic one-liners.

Hackett opted to stand on the sidelines on Thursday while his University of Utah team-mates had their limbs and hands measured, ran the 40-yard dash, jumped vertically and bench pressed in front of NFL coaches and scouts in Salt Lake City.

"I run like a penguin, everyone knows it so I'm not going to show everyone else that," Hackett told reporters after only showing off his punting skills.

The gamble likely paid off with the 23-year-old from Melbourne dropping consecutive pinpoint punts inside the 10-yard line giving him a real chance of following fellow Aussie punters Darren Bennett, Mat McBriar, Ben Graham, Sav Rocca and Brad Wing into the NFL.

Australia has four strong candidates to break into the NFL this year after strong college stints in addition to Hackett.

Georgia Tech defensive tackle Adam Gotsis, Sam Houston State University punter Lachlan Edwards and University of Maryland's record-breaking goal kicker Brad Craddock were among a select group of 300 elite US college prospects invited to last month's NFL Combine.

The NFL Draft will be held on April 28.


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Source: AAP



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