When the San Francisco 49ers selected Jake Moody in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, they were hoping that they wouldn't worry about the position for a long time. They reached early for who they thought was an elite kicker, and Moody's rookie campaign largely proved them right as he made 60 of his 61 extra point attempts and went 21/25 on field goals.
Moody's sophomore campaign saw him take a significant step back. After breaking the franchise record for most field goals made in a game in Week 1, Moody fell off a cliff, finishing the season 24/34 in field goal attempts, one of the worst marks in the NFL.
Understandably, there have been calls about potentially replacing Moody for the 2025 season. The 49ers took the first step towards that after the draft, agreeing to bring in a highly qualified kicker for the rookie minicamp.
The #49ers are bringing in the Lou Groza Award winner Kenny Almendares to their upcoming rookie minicamp for a tryout, per @LombardiHimself pic.twitter.com/qEd0HlABS3
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) April 28, 2025
49ers Are Bringing in Competition for Jake Moody
David Lombardi of the San Francisco Standard reported that the 49ers will have Kenny Almendares try out in their upcoming rookie minicamp.
This should be concerning for Moody, as Almendares was named first-team All-American last season and won the Lou Groza Award, given to the best kicker nationally. After spending his collegiate career with the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, Almendares broke the team and SBC record for single-season field goals. He finished the season missing only two field goals in 29 attempts.
Despite being one of the best kickers in the country, Almendares wasn't one of the two kickers selected in the draft.
Interestingly enough, Moody himself was a recipient of the Lou Groza Award in 2021. Whether he will lose his job to a fellow winner remains to be seen, but it's clear that the 49ers' top brass is looking for upgrades at kicker.