Draft-Week Buzz
No verified pre-draft news items in the past 30 days for this prospect. See Day 2/3 Team Fits below for projected landing spots and /news.html for the cross-prospect timeline.
Scouting Nugget: Led nation in avg (48.5)
Expanded bio coming soon. This prospect is Punter #2 in the 2026 class.
Sources
Our scouting profile is assembled from these primary sources + cross-checked against ESPN (Kiper / Reid / Miller), PFF's 2026 Big Board, Dane Brugler's The Beast 2026, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50. See our full methodology and citations.
Rookie Contract & Landing-Spot Outlook
Projected Rookie Contract Value
~$4.3M – $4.6M (4-year deal) · Pick range: #161-200 · ~10% guaranteed
Minimum 4-yr deal + small bonus
Best-Case / Worst-Case Landing Spot
Why: falls in his projected pick range.
Year-1 arc: Day-1 starter window with cap-controlled rookie-contract production.
Why: P not in their stated top-5 needs; runs a scheme that doesn't naturally amplify his profile.
Year-1 arc: Depth-chart competition + special-teams reps as Year-1 baseline.
Contract band uses the 2026 NFL CBA rookie wage scale projected from the prospect's expected pick range; guarantee % is the slot-default at that pick. Landing-spot best/worst case is derived from TEAMS data (positional needs + scheme overlap minus same-position R1 conflicts) — not a claim that either team has expressed interest.
By the Numbers — 2026 Class Context
- Frame: Among 2026 P prospects, his 6-3 / 210 lbs frame sits at the 50th percentile in height and 50th percentile in weight.
- Position class: Ryan Eckley is P #2 of 2 ranked Ps in the 2026 class. Of those, 1 are projected in the R6 range.
- School pipeline: One of 5 Michigan State prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft — but the only P.
Computed factually from the 2026 prospect class roster — height/weight percentiles benchmark this player against every other ranked prospect at the same position. Recruiting arc compares his high-school 247Sports/Rivals composite to his current projected round.
Similar Punter Prospects
Closest matches to Ryan Eckley (6-3 / 210 lbs, #2 P) by ranking proximity and physical profile. SIZE MATCH = within 1″ height and 10 lbs; TIER MATCH = within 2 ranking spots.
- Brett ThorsonSIZE MATCH Georgia · 6-4/220 lbs · #1 P · R5-R6
Michigan State & The 2026 Class
More from Michigan State
- Zyaire Hill · IDL #24 · UDFA
- Matt Gulbin · IOL #26 · R7
- Jack Velling · TE #22 · UDFA
- Jalen Nailor · WR #37 · UDFA
Other R6-R7 prospects in the 2026 class
Different positions, same projected draft tier as Ryan Eckley.
- DJ Lagway · QB · Florida
- Trey Smack · K · Florida
- Taylen Green · QB · Arkansas
- Chip Trayanum · RB · Toledo
- Vinny Anthony II · WR · Wisconsin
- Chris Hilton Jr. · WR · LSU