Siposs hopes to grow NFL's Australian footprint
Auburn undoubtedly had issues covering opposing punt returns last season.
The Tigers’ punt-coverage unit ranked dead last in the country — 130th of 130 teams — allowing 17.29 yards per return after ranking positively in the top 10 in that category the year prior. Those struggles flared up early in the season, forcing punter Arryn Siposs and his group to find a solution quickly.
Siposs was advised to start punting balls end over end to focus on precise direction, helping his punt squad track down returners more efficiently by optimizing hang time. But at the NFL Combine and at Auburn’s Pro Day, Siposs was advised to do just the opposite and to simply show off his leg power.
“I knew it was going to be crucial to be able to go and take the next step,” Siposs said at pro day of punting a consistent spiral. “Obviously it’s something that I know NFL teams need to be able to see, and I felt like I’ve been able to do that over the last couple of weeks which has been awesome.”
Siposs, one of just seven punters invited to the 2020 NFL Combine, spent his pro day time with scouts as the only Auburn player outside of the team’s indoor practice facility. He stared into the March sun and booted kick after kick, while scouts and NFL personnel advised him every few punts, asking him to change direction or kick style.
It’s that versatility that Siposs thinks will serve him well at the next level.
“I think it’s leading me in the right direction which is great,” Siposs said of getting closer to mastering the spiral. “But, you know, obviously they know I can kick the end-over-end and control it beautifully and things like that, which is definitely a strength of mine, but it’s just being able to show that versatility and knowing that if a team gives me a chance, if we go there, is that they’re going to get it with the spiral or they’re going to get it with the end-over-end. So it’s been good."
A transplant from Australian rules football and the Prokick Australia program two seasons ago, Siposs averaged 44 yards a punt over two years.
You'd be hard-pressed to find him on many mocks or big boards leading up to late April's NFL Draft. Still, as he did throughout his Auburn career, Siposs is leaning on mentorship and advice from former Aussie rules players like himself that transitioned into the league, such as the Steelers' Jordan Berry, the 49ers' Mitch Wishnowsky and Seahawks pro-bowler Michael Dickson.
Of that group, Berry went undrafted, and Dickson left college a year early at Texas as Siposs is doing at Auburn.
"I just kind of wanted to see how [Dickson] went about it and things like that," Siposs said. "Those guys have been great for me, to be able to kind of fall back on and see where it takes and things like that. So it’s been good to be able to talk to those guys."
Now 27 years old, Siposs committed to Auburn prior to the 2018 season eyeing a professional career in America. With that goal feeling more real for Siposs after the eye-opening whirlwind of the NFL Combine and pro day, what would it mean for him, his family, and young players back in Australia for an NFL team to give Siposs a shot?
"It’d mean everything, honestly," Siposs said. "I came over here to be able to go and do that. So it’s a mission to be able to go out and get that done, and not just for one season or two seasons but to play in the league for eight-plus seasons and really be able to be effective in my role — that would mean everything to me."
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