‘Detail-oriented’ Caleb Shudak has few more days of waiting before Iowa kicker learns NFL fate

IOWA CITY — Former Iowa kicker Caleb Shudak is a self-proclaimed “detail-oriented person.”

He plays a position that demands consistency — where a small irregularity in his process could come with a major consequence.

Before Iowa’s pro day, he had a “pre-pro day” to perfect his process before scouts from 31 NFL teams came to Iowa City. He likes to have a “routine.”

That makes the question Shudak has been getting sometimes a little more antagonizing.

“People are like, ‘Hey what are you doing this time or this summer? Or where are you going to be?’” Shudak said. “I have no idea. … Just sitting there waiting and not having the answer is driving me crazy.”

The wait will soon be over.

The Associated Press third-team All-American likely will find out which NFL team will give him a shot — either in the last four rounds of the NFL Draft or as an undrafted free agent — Saturday.

Shudak has spent most of his time between the Citrus Bowl and NFL Draft in Iowa City while traveling to various camps and events to catch the attention of NFL scouts.

“It's been a lot busier than I had anticipated,” Shudak said.

He’s been going through the draft process after hitting 85.7 percent of field goal attempts for the Hawkeyes in 2021, including four makes from 50-plus yards.

“Caleb is an NFL kicker,” Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods said, “and whoever gets this guy is going to be lucky as all get-out to have him.”

At Iowa’s pro day and Kohl’s Kicking Camps’ pro combine, Shudak hit field goals from as deep as 65 yards.

“I used the combine script for kickers and then just altered it a little bit so I could go (a) little farther so I could show off my leg,” Shudak said of his approach at Iowa’s pro day. “It’s like a tryout. You’re trying to promote yourself and market yourself.”

Usually, the combine script stops at 55-yard attempts, but Shudak cut that portion short to give himself a chance to kick from 60 yards and then 65.

"I was feeling good, and I was like, ‘Hey, Coach, I’ll just push it to 65,’” Shudak said. “Got nothing to lose.”

As he kicks to impress scouts, some of the mental aspects of kicking differ from when he kicks in games.

“When you try to impress scouts, a lot of it comes down to just showing off you can hit a really big ball,” Shudak said. “I kind of let my adrenaline take over on pro day, whereas in games, it’s more of a ‘stay calm, kind of breathe through and keep your heart rate low’ so you can go out and perform on a bigger stage in a bigger pressure situation.”

The Council Bluffs native did not receive an invite to the NFL Combine — only three kickers were invited — but he did attend the East-West Shrine Bowl in January.

While Shudak was in Las Vegas for the pre-draft event, he met with about a dozen NFL teams, which asked about “all sorts of things.”

“What your high school career was? What sports you played? Your family?” Shudak said. “Just to get to know you a bit — get to know your background — and then you move into some football technical aspects.”

The interest from teams came despite some obvious limitations for an athlete playing a position NFL teams only need one of each year.

“Some teams just don't need a kicker,” Shudak said, “or some teams were looking more for O-linemen, so they requested more time with them.”

Since Iowa’s pro day, he estimated he’s done three private workouts and “several” calls over the phone or Zoom with NFL teams.

About 15 to 20 teams have reached out to Shudak’s agent to make sure they have the correct phone number for him, his agent and his parents.

“The phone’s going to be on the whole time,” Shudak said.

In the meantime, Shudak has a few more days of waiting before finally planning his summer schedule.

“It’s forcing me to be patient,” Shudak said. “Patience is a virtue, and it put me to the test.”

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