Giants Add Kicker Dominik Zvada After NFL Draft
With his background as a special teams coordinator, it wouldn’t be too surprising if John Harbaugh had suggested to the Giants that they draft a kicker. But with no seventh-round pick, that prospect seemed unlikely.
Ultimately, the Giants didn’t select any kickers during the draft. However, they acted quickly afterward, bringing Dominik Zvada onto the team. Zvada had an impressive run as part of the Wolverines’ championship win in 2024 while at Michigan.
“Let’s do it!” Zvada exclaimed on his X account, standing poolside in a blue Giants hat, flashing two thumbs up.
He has a shot to make the roster as a rookie, though the kicker position seems uncertain. The Giants recently released 39-year-old Graham Gano and brought in veteran Jason Sanders, who spent seven seasons with the Dolphins and was sidelined last year due to a back injury. Ben Sauls, who managed an 8-for-8 performance late last season, also remains on the roster.
Interestingly, only one kicker was picked in the 2026 draft—Trey Smack from Florida, soon to be with the Packers in the sixth round. The competition for undrafted free agents can be intense, prompting the Giants to move quickly after the earlier rounds concluded. It’s a frantic race to secure players who didn’t get drafted on those three days.
“Yeah, we’ve been working on it for weeks,” said general manager Joe Schoen after the Giants acquired linebacker Jack Kelly from BYU with their last sixth-round pick for the 2026 class. “For some kids, it’s about relationships. We send coaches out, train kids on the side, attend pro days, meet players at the All-Star Game.”
“It’s an ongoing process from the first to the seventh round and into priority free agency. Right after the draft, we’re going to leap into action. We have a solid plan and have identified targets.”
Zvada, who at 22 years old played his first two years at Arkansas State before transferring to Michigan State, excelled in 2024. He made 21 out of 22 field goals, missing only one due to a block. In a critical game against Ohio State, he gained fame by hitting a 54-yard field goal, followed by a 21-yarder that secured a 13-10 victory for Michigan.
However, his performance dropped in 2025, with 17 successful attempts out of 25. His longest field goal in college was 56 yards.
Other undrafted free agents joining the Giants include:
- CB Thaddeus Dixon, North Carolina
- RB Damon Bankston, New Mexico State
- DT Ankin Barnes, Colorado
- Long Snapper Ben Mann, Boston University
- OL Ryan Scharnecke, Kutztown
- DT Ben Barten, Wisconsin
As for Mann, he’ll compete against 35-year-old veteran long snapper Zach Triner, who joined the team after former long snapper Casey Kreiter left for the Cardinals. Interestingly, Mann is the grandson of Chuck Marcein, a 1965 Giants draft pick known for his time with Vince Lombardi’s Packers, who famously beat the Giants in the Ice Bowl during the 1967 championship game.
