When former Michigan kicker Dominic Zvada signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in April, the public sentiment was that the Giants were either going to get a starting kicker who would blow out his competition right away or he would fizzle out based on his performance in 2025.
So far, Zvada has found his 2024 form, and he is running away with the kicking competition in New York.
According to New York Giants insider Jordan Raanan, Zvada has been perfect in the Giants’ mandatory minicamp this week, going 13-for-13. In a separate session open to the media, Zvada knocked through all eight of his field goal attempts, as reported by the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard.
The rookie from Chandler, Arizona, entered camp in a three-way competition with long-time Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders and second-year kicker Ben Sauls, who finished the last three weeks of the 2025 season with New York.
However, while Zvada has been consistently striking the ball through the goal posts, the other two are not having as much luck.
In the same session where Zvada made eight of his field goal attempts, Sauls went just 4-of-8, Leonard posted. In the last open practice of OTAs last week, Sauls missed half of his 12 field goal attempts, compared to Zvada going 13-for-13. And after last week’s practice, Sanders was surprisingly cut by the Giants – and quickly signed by the Jets – seemingly making it a two-man competition going forward.
Zvada has easily proven that he has what it takes to be an everyday starting kicker in the NFL. In his junior season, Zvada was a record-breaking kicker for the Wolverines, winning the Bakken-Andersen Big Ten Kicker of the Year after converting 95.5 percent of his field goal attempts. He was also 7-for-7 on kicks of 50+ yards, both setting Michigan records.
His senior year was a little more challenging, converting just 17-of-25 field goals, several of those from less than 40 yards. He was 2-for-3 from 50+ yards and matched his career long of 56. Nonetheless, Zvada has always had the clutch gene – he drilled a 54-yard field goal and a 21-yarder at Ohio State to take down the Buckeyes in 2024 and he kicked the game-winner at Wrigley Field against Northwestern as the clock expired in 2025.
The Giants need stability at the kicker position, which they have been lacking for the past three years due to Graham Gano injuries. In that span, New York has seen eight different kickers attempt a field goal.
Zvada is getting an opportunity of a lifetime to become a starting kicker in the NFL. Does he have what it takes to finish the job?
