2026 NFL Draft: Kansei Matsuzawa can ignite Raiders’ kicker competition

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 25: Kansei Matsuzawa #PK17 of Hawaii participates in a drill during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine on February 25, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images When new head coach Klint Kubiak hired Joe DeCamillis to be the Las Vegas Raiders special teams coordinator, you knew the familiarity well went deeper than between the two coaches. And it was no surprise to see the Silver & Black link the new special teams boss with place kicker Matt Gay.

The 32-year-old kicker from Utah was part of the team’s Wave 1 free agency splash last month and closed the door on re-signing longtime boot specialist Daniel Carlson. While Gay and DeCamillis look to recapture the magic they had as kicker and special teams coordinator, respectively, with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 and 2022 — those two seasons, the kicker missed just two field goals and had 94. 1 and 93.

3 field goal percentages — the Las Vegas Raiders would be wise to hedge their best in the 2026 NFL Draft. This year’s crop of place kicker prospects available later this month is intriguing, but there’s one in particular that can ignite a true kicking competition in Las Vegas: Hawaii’s Kansei Matsuzawa. By The Numbers Kansei Matsuzawa, Place Kicker, Hawaii 2025: 13 games, 27 field goals made, 29 field goals attempted, 93.

1 field goal percentage, 40-for-40 on extra points, 121 points scored Career: (2024-25), 25 games, 39 field goals made, 45 field goals attempted, 86. 7 field goal percentage, 72-for-72 on extra points, 189 points scored Insane: Hawaii's Japanese kicker Kansei Matsuzawa learned how to kick from YouTube tutorial videos. At age 20, he was a waiter at a Morton's Steakhouse.