Browns get ultra-productive kicker Zane Gonzalez in the 7th round of 2017 NFL draft

Zane Gonzalez had one of the most prolific collegiate careers ever for a kicker but didn’t get drafted until the final round, making him a steal for the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL draft when the team selected Gonzalez with the No. 224 overall selection.

In the last 12 years, punter Bryan Anger and kicker Roberto Aguayo are the only two specialists taken in the first three rounds of the NFL draft. Neither lived up to the billing.

Anger underwhelmed in Jacksonville before emerging in Tampa Bay in 2016, while Aguayo struggled as a rookie, missing four of his first season field goals and finishing his rookie season last in the NFL in field goal percentage at 71 percent.

The lackluster results from those selections may have dissuaded other teams from taking a chance on Gonzalez earlier. In the past, taking specialists early wasn’t a bold or rare strategy.

In just an eight-year span from 1972 to 1979, there were 15 kickers and punters drafted in the first three rounds, including three taken in the first round.

Instead, Browns gets arguably the best kicker — the second off the board after Jake Elliott of Memphis — at a strong value.

The biggest reason Gonzalez was worth a draft pick is because he made a whole bunch of kicks at Arizona State. He improved throughout his time with the Sun Devils and became one of the most reliable in the nation, successfully making 23 of 25 field goals as a senior to finish with 96 field goals over his collegiate career — the most ever in the FBS.

During the Senior Bowl — where he made three field goals — NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said a veteran scout told him that Gonzalez received his highest-ever grade for a kicker, eclipsing even Aguayo’s grade in 2016.

Leg strength

When Gonzalez arrived at Arizona State as a 160-pound freshman kicker, he kicked field goals and extra points, while the stronger leg of Alex Garoutte was used for kickoffs. But Gonzalez developed and added more than 40 pounds over the last four years to become one of the strongest kickers in college football.

He kicked touchbacks on 126 of 167 kickoffs in his final two seasons at ASU and made seven of nine attempts from more than 50 yards in 2016.

While Aguayo was more efficient during his career at FSU — making 96.73 percent of his field goals and extra points compared to 92.3 percent for Gonzalez — Aguayo attempted just six 50-yard field goals in three years.

Aguayo kicked touchbacks on 55.95 percent of kickoffs compared to the 75.4 percent of Gonzalez.

Nerve

Kicking is largely a mental game. When the pressure is on, a kicker must be cool, calm, and collected with the weight of the game on his shoulders. It was never a concern for Gonzalez.

“I’m just worried about the snap,” ASU head coach Todd Graham said of Gonzalez in 2014 after a game-winning kick, via the Arizona Republic. “I don’t worry about him. He has a personality that gives you a lot of confidence. He’s the best I’ve been around. If he lines up right, he’s going to make every field goal he tries.”

If Gonzalez is susceptible to the yips that plague so many young kickers, he never showed signs of that in Tempe.

Not especially. Why did he go in the seventh round? Umm ... not sure.

He missed one game in 2014 for what the school called “personal reasons” and missed 20 field goals over four years, while Aguayo had just nine over three years.

But the biggest concern is just the value of a kicker. There are plenty on the free-agency market and many teams find starters there. Is it worth it to use a draft pick to upgrade a position that comes into play just a handful of times during a game?

The Browns will hope that Gonzalez beats Cody Parkey for the job and makes an impact that makes his selection worthwhile.