49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: Punter Jeff Locke
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise’s 2018 “Who Is?” on 49ers players this offseason looks at veteran punter Jeff Locke, who projects to be little more than a camp body through the preseason.
The San Francisco 49ers already have a starting punter lined up for 2018, Bradley Pinion, but it hasn’t been uncommon for the team to bring aboard some added competition during training camp.
This year, it’s fellow veteran Jeff Locke.
Locke entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings back in 2013 out of UCLA. He was the Vikings’ regular punter for the first four years of his career before his rookie deal expired, subsequently leading to him signing with the Indianapolis Colts, then the Detroit Lions, in 2017.
| Game | Game | Punt | Punt | Punt | Punt | Punt | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Age | Tm | Pos | No. | G | GS | Pnt | Yds | Lng | Blck | Y/P | AV |
| 2013 | 24 | MIN | P | 12 | 16 | 0 | 75 | 3316 | 65 | 0 | 44.2 | 2 |
| 2014 | 25 | MIN | P | 18 | 16 | 0 | 75 | 3318 | 62 | 1 | 44.2 | 2 |
| 2015 | 26 | MIN | P | 18 | 16 | 0 | 66 | 2746 | 61 | 0 | 41.6 | 1 |
| 2016 | 27 | MIN | P | 18 | 16 | 0 | 74 | 3155 | 72 | 0 | 42.6 | 1 |
| 2017 | 28 | DET | p | 18 | 5 | 0 | 27 | 1222 | 54 | 0 | 45.3 | 1 |
| Care | Care | 69 | 0 | 317 | 13757 | 72 | 1 | 43.4 | 7 | |||
| 4 yr | 4 yr | MIN | 64 | 0 | 290 | 12535 | 72 | 1 | 43.2 | 6 | ||
| 1 yr | 1 yr | DET | 5 | 0 | 27 | 1222 | 54 | 0 | 45.3 | 1 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/10/2018.
Locke was only a temporary replacement for Lions punter Sam Martin, which limited the former’s tenure in Detroit to just five games.
The Niners subsequently grabbed Locke in March of this year.
Likely little more than a camp body, Locke will at least push Pinion a bit during training camp and prevent the 49ers’ own NFL Draft investment from an increased risk of preseason injury.
But is that all we should expect from Locke in a red and gold uniform?
Why Jeff Locke Improves in 2018
Locke owns a career-43.4 punt-yard average over his five-year career. Pinion’s career average is 43.7 yards, so there isn’t much of a difference there.
Pinion has long since handled kickoff duties, which is something Locke has experience with. So that can be an area in which Locke can compete with Pinion too.
At 28 years old, Locke still has plenty of room for improvement. But in order to crack the roster, he’ll have to soundly beat out Pinion between now and Week 1.
Why He Regresses
It was a little weird to see the Colts release Locke only months into his two-year deal back in 2017. He lost the starting job to undrafted free agent Rigoberto Sanchez that year, which isn’t a good look for the veteran’s resume.
Locke’s leg has always been looked at as a quality one. But, perhaps, there are some questions with consistency and accuracy.
After all, the Niners are now his fourth team in three years.
Chances of Making the 49ers’ 53-Man Roster in 2018
Barring injury to Pinion, there’s hardly a chance Locke wins this competition. Financially, there’s little difference between the contracts of Locke and Pinion this year. But Pinion is a free agent after 2018, so one could argue the Niners at least give a slightly longer look at Locke.
Still, San Francisco knows what it has in Pinion, who has shown improvement ever since his rocky rookie season back in 2015.
This will likely be a deciding factor even if Locke shows a bit more prowess.
What Locke will have to do to make the 53-man roster this season is absolutely dominate the special teams competition, as well as Pinion having a training camp to forget.
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Anything other than that likely leads to Locke’s cut from the team this September.