Mexican kicker Jesús Gómez aims for 2026 NFL Draft

After a successful season with the Arizona State Sun Devils, Mexican kicker Jesús Gómez has declared himself eligible for the 2026 NFL draft.

In his last season with Arizona State, the former PrepaTec Puebla Borregos player had a 73% field goal rating and a 100% extra point rating.

As a result of his good season with Sun Devils, Jesús declared himself eligible for the Draft that will take place on April 23.

“I am very proud to announce that I have declared myself eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft”, the player shared on social media.

During his time with the Arizona State Sun Devils, Jesús was named player of the week several times.

The 2026 Draft

The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh for the first time in its history, will take place on April 23; rounds 2 and 3 will be the following day, and rounds 4 to 7 will close out the event on April 25.

“Firstly, I want to thank God for every blessing: the path that brought me here, and the opportunity to do what I love; none of it would have been possible without Him.

“I want to thank my family for their unwavering support: thank you for every sacrifice, for being there when I needed you most, and for making the long trip from Mexico; every game means so much to me”, the Mexican posted.

He also thanked his coaches for their work, as well as the Sun Devil and Eastern Michigan teams.

“Thank you for taking a risk and helping me achieve one of my dreams”, he said.

Mexico has had several kickers in the NFL, including Raúl Allegre, born in Torreón, who played 92 games for the Colts, Giants and Jets; as well as Rafael Septién from Mexico City, who played for the Rams and Cowboys.

Efrén Herrera from Jalisco also played for the Dallas Cowboys, winning the Super Bowl with them, as well as the Seahawks and Bills.

Jesús has been training in Ohio for the past 3 weeks and has been focusing on achieving his next goal: becoming an NFL player.

Holding the record for the longest field goal

In September 2024, during his time as a kicker for Eastern Michigan University, the PrepaTec graduate broke the record for the longest field goal in the history of the university.

Jesus achieved this with a 57-yard kick during the game between Eastern Michigan and the University of Washington in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

“I don’t want to live off just one kick; I don’t want to be remembered for just that one game”, said Jesús after achieving the feat.

He also broke the record for the number of field goals of 50 yards or more in the same game by scoring two.

“I am very proud to announce that I have declared myself eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft”

From soccer to American football

His love for sports didn’t start with football, though. Jesús began with soccer, a sport he participated in for 14 years.

After accompanying some friends to a football training session, he made the decision to change sports.

“I wasn’t as good as the others at soccer, and that contributed to me not liking it more”, he recalled.

His parents didn’t allow it at first, but he managed to reach the Borregos Puebla junior league.

Jesús wanted to play in more “popular” positions but, when he realized his potential as a kicker, he decided to focus on that and received the support of his family.

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