Last modified: Thursday, April 19, 2007 11:46 PM EDT Pats likely to pass on kickers BY MARK FARINELLA / SUN CHRONICLE STAFF EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first part of a nine-part series previewing the 72nd annual National Football League draft of college players. Today, the kickers and punters are previewed. FOXBORO - One thing upon which you can count when the NFL Draft rolls around is that not a single one of the 32 teams in the league will be scrambling for a punter or a kicker until Sunday, if even then. They're just not priority positions. Only occasionally will a team make a premature grasp for a placekicker on the first day of the two-day affair, as the Oakland Raiders did in 2000 when they made Sebastian Janikowski their first-round selection (17th overall) and have had reasonable success with him - although it's easy to debate whether they paid too much for something they could have gotten for far fewer dollars later in the draft. Fortunately for Bill Belichick and the Patriots, those debates have been avoided. Their selection of Memphis' Stephen Gostkowski in the fourth round of last year's draft provided them with a capable replacement for future Hall of Famer Adam Vinatieri, who departed through free agency to the Super Bowl-champion Indianapolis Colts. Belichick has drafted only two kickers during his seven-year tenure (including Owen Pochman in 2000). And as for punters, the Patriots have a plethora - even with the departure of late-season replacement Todd Sauerbrun, who was ruled a free agent earlier this week when the Patriots' right of first refusal on his contract was ruled void for not having been filed correctly with the league originally. Sauerbrun will rejoin the Denver Broncos, but returning veteran Josh Miller is coming off injured reserve, and practice-squadders Danny Baugher and Tom Malone should provide enough competition in training camp. About the only reason why the Patriots might pick a punter on April 29 is because, with four compensatory draft picks that can't be traded among their 10, they ran out of better ideas. For those teams who have needs in their kicking games, there are a few draft-worthy candidates. According to the Ourlads Scouting Service, there may be as many as three kickers and three punters worthy of draft consideration, and just one likely to go in the first three rounds on April 28. Colorado placekicker Mason Crosby (6-1, 212) was a four-year starter for the Buffaloes who consistently drives the ball deep on kickoffs, is fundamentally sound, and as a former safety, has a good understanding of kick coverage and won't shy away from tackling. The career right-footer may have had a boost from playing at altitude (12 career kicks of 50 yards or longer out of 66), but he was just as accurate and dependable at sea level. He's projected as a third-round possibility. UCLA's Justin Medlock (5-11½, 201) was productive from the left side for four years, and displayed a penchant for making the pressure kick when the game was on the line. He did not have any kicks blocked during his career and has good mechanics, but he tends to line-drive his kickoffs and needs to improve that at the next level. He could go in the sixth or seventh rounds. Also a possible seventh-rounder is Arizona's Nick Folk (6-1¼, 225), a three-year starter who booms his kickoffs but tends to be a little erratic with his mid-range field goals (from 25 to 40). He had to fill in as Arizona's punter in 2005 and averaged 44.7 yards an attempt, which will tickle personnel departments looking for versatility. Among the priority free agents, you're likely to see the names of Arizona State's Jesse Ainsworth, Southern Mississippi's Darren McCaleb, Michigan's Garrett Rivas, Virginia Tech's Nic Schmitt and Eastern Michigan's Andrew Wellock at the forefront. The top-rated punter is Baylor's Daniel Sepulveda (6-2¾, 229), a former linebacker and four-year starter, who brings size, strength and "pop" to his left-footed kicks. He's a two-time winner of the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top collegiate punter and could go as high as the sixth round. Maryland's Adam Podlesh (5-11, 202) has amazing quickness (4.44 speed in the 40-yard dash), willingly competes in coverage and never had a punt blocked during his career. Consistently displaying a steady, even demeanor under pressure, he'll be a likely sixth- or seventh-round pick. Auburn's Kody Bliss (5-10¼, 179) turned his soccer and wrestling experience in high school into the ability to boom punts in college, averaging better than 4.1 seconds in hang time. His mental toughness may propel him into the seventh round. Among the punters most likely to find their way into a camp are Georgia's Gordon Ely-Kelso, Texas Tech's Alex Reyes and Rice's Jared Scruggs. Long-snapping isn't a draft-day priority, but Texas Christian's Jared Retkofsky, Texas-El Paso's Aaron King, Michigan's Turner Booth and Virginia Tech's Nick Leeson may make it into someone's training camp in July. SATURDAY: Wide receivers.