49ers’ 2019 ‘Who Is?’ series: Punter Mitch Wishnowsky
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers made something of a shocking move in the 2019 NFL Draft, using a fourth-round pick on punter Mitch Wishnowsky. But it could be a genius selection.
Imagine being the first specialist taken in the NFL Draft, going to a team under plenty of scrutiny to perform above expectations, only to see those expectations dissolve into an early pro career of being just “so-so” at best.
Well, that’s essentially what happened to former San Francisco 49ers punter Bradley Pinion back in 2015. And after he departed the Niners via free agency once his rookie contract was up, San Francisco restarted the process in nearly identical fashion.
This time, it was by selecting former Utah punter Mitch Wishnowsky in Round 4 of the 2019 draft.
The Australian-born specialist was the first of his kind drafted this year, which automatically raised eyebrows across the league; many wondering if the 49ers essentially wasted a pick they could have used elsewhere.
That said, Wishnowsky had an awfully good track record at the college level:
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 7/21/2019.
Wishnowsky’s leg is already at an NFL level. While it’s unheralded, the ability to swap good field position for the defense is vital in today’s offensive-minded NFL. Those few extra yards can mean the difference between a playoff contender and a top-five draft pick.
Why Mitch Wishnowsky Improves in 2019
The 49ers appeared to want to wait until Round 5 to grab Wishnowsky, but ultimately felt he wasn’t going to last that long.
If that’s the case, Wishnowsky is clearly the best punter from the 2019 class. But will his collegiate success translate over to the NFL level? After all, Pinion’s leg was supposed to be the best in the league, too. And he was merely average at best after joining San Francisco.
Clips like this one illustrate how Wishnowsky can be a field-changing weapon. And this clip from a practice, which has Wishnowsky’s punt featuring a hang time of 5.26 seconds, is the kind allowing Niners gunners to force more fair catches than before.
Those efforts make a difference, which don’t often receive the recognition they deserve.
Why Mitch Wishnowsky Regresses
Pinion is a perfect example how specialists, who excel in college, don’t always see that success translate over to the NFL level.
For example, Pinion’s average increased just over two yards at the pro level. And he was regularly in the proverbial “middle of the pack” for punter rankings despite being drafted.
It’s possible Wishnowsky is poised to follow the same route, especially if he runs into similar inconsistency troubles early in his career.
Projected Impact for the 49ers in 2019
It’s OK to criticize the Niners for drafting a punter. That is going to remain a risky move, especially when other areas of the roster needed to be addressed.
Still, if Wisnhnowsky winds up being a useful weapon on special teams, the fact he was drafted so high might soon be forgotten.
This matters because the 49ers defense averaged drive stands on opponents’ 30.9-yard line a year ago — third worst in the NFL. That’s where field position comes into play, and it likely influenced San Francisco’s standing as the league’s fifth worst scoring defense in 2018.
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The Niners are essentially asking Wishnowsky to be this kind of weapon, someone capable of putting the defense into a much better situation on a stand-by-stand basis.
If it goes well, the 49ers defense should benefit a lot in 2019 and beyond.