Ryland became the third ever Maryland kicker to be drafted.
Maryland kicker Chad Ryland was taken with the No. 112 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots.
The Patriots traded up eight spots to take Ryland.
Ryland is the third Maryland kicker to be drafted in the Super Bowl era, joining Steve Mike-Mayer (1975) and Dan Plocki (1989).
Ryland spent four years at Eastern Michigan before joining the Terps, where he was the best kicker in Eagles program history. He is Eastern Michigan’s leader in career points scored with 309 and holds its single-game record for field goals made in a game with five. He made 56 field goals in his four seasons there.
The former five-star kicker transferred to Maryland with high expectations, as he was named to the 2022 Lou Groza Award Watch List — given to the nation’s best kicker — and more than delivered. At one point, he had a streak of 24 straight field goals made between the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
He scored 96 points in 13 game with the Terps, which was the eighth-highest single-season total for a player in program history.
“He was probably one of the more meaningful gets out of the transfer portal for us and not just his ability to kick, but if you’ve watched him and how he’s integrated into a new football family, he’s already one of the guys that shows tremendous leadership,” head coach Mike Locksley said about Ryland during the season.
He made 19 of 23 kicks en route to a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2022. From under 40 yards, he went a perfect 9-for-9.
At Maryland’s pro day, with scouts from 31 teams in attendance, Ryland said, “I’m very confident that I’m top-32 in the world at my craft.”
Ryland will compete with 38-year-old NFL veteran Nick Folk, who missed three extra points and five field goals in the 2022 season, for the starting role.