The sound of Tyler Loop kicking a football is now a part of Ravens practices, perhaps for years to come.
Head Coach John Harbaugh, who had never seen Loop kick in person before the draft, liked what he saw and heard at rookie minicamp.
“It was good to see it. It was good to hear it,” Harbaugh said. “I think as much as anything, it’s good to hear a kicker, and the way the ball comes off his foot is impressive.”
Loop impressed the Ravens enough to select him in the sixth round, the first kicker drafted in franchise history. He’s under the microscope even more after the release of Justin Tucker on Monday, but performing under pressure is part of any successful NFL kicker’s DNA.
Loop sounded prepared to handle expectations during his post-draft zoom press conference. He had a hunch the Ravens might draft him after meeting with Senior Special Teams Coach Randy Brown at the NFL Combine.
“We got to chat a bunch and got to exchange film and just talk about that,” Loop said. “The moment that I was like, ‘Alright, hey, I think we’re going to end up at Baltimore,’ was right after the Patriots took ‘Andy’ (kicker Andres Borregales). I was like, ‘Alright, here we go. I’m going to be a Baltimore Raven and go to be with Randy and Harbaugh and be a Raven.’ I’m pumped.”
Loop has arguably the biggest leg in this year’s class, making a school record 62-yard field goal at Arizona and converting 63 of 80 career field goal attempts (83.8%). He was six for nine on field goals of at least 50 yards in 2024.
Though he hasn’t had a ton of experience kicking in the cold winter climates he will see in the AFC North, Loop isn’t worried.
“Being in the Pac-12, I got to go up to Washington, Washington State, and Oregon and play up there in some cold weather and some wind and crazy conditions,” Loop said. “It’s something that gets me excited.
“I think having a challenge to go conquer and a skillset to refine and really work on and become an expert of kicking in those conditions is something that gets me fired up. Learning from coaches who have been up there for a long time and learned how to be successful in the AFC North kicking, that’s something that just the sound of gets me pumped up, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Loop loves kicking and takes pride in putting in his work. He relies on sound mechanics to avoid the slumps that can shake a kicker’s confidence.
“I’d say the one thing that I hang my hat on is being a student of craft,” Loop said. “Guys in golf and baseball, you have a swing coach, because we’re doing the same thing, trying to hit the same ball every time.
“That’s something that I really enjoy, because there are days where you don’t feel good. There are days where you’re not in a groove, and if you’re not feeling it, you can always fall back on your mechanics to be successful and make kicks.”
Loop has months to fine-tune his mechanics for the upcoming season, when some of his kicks could decide if the Ravens win or lose. Those are the moments Loop looks forward to.
“Just figuring out what’s going to work to be successful in Baltimore and make kicks and win games,” Loop said. “What that looks like is just stacking days and learning and taking input and just competing every day. That’s what I’m going to do. That’s what I’m ready for.”
