Ryan Succop

Ryan Barrow Succop (born September 19, 1986) is an American football placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He became the 2009 Mr. Irrelevant by virtue of being selected by the Chiefs with the final pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at South Carolina.

Early years
Succop attended Hickory High School in Hickory, North Carolina. He was a four-time all-conference and two-time all-state performer, and was named a three-time conference special teams Player of the Year. He also played soccer and scored 104 career goals. He was rated the fourth-best kicker in the nation and the sixteenth-best prospect in North Carolina by Rivals.com.

College career
Succop attended the University of South Carolina. He performed kicking, punting, and kickoff duties for the Gamecocks. His 251 career points ranks 10th on South Carolina's all-time list.

In 2005, as a freshman, he was the kickoff specialist and backup placekicker. He kicked off fifty-nine times for a 62.3 yard average with twenty-nine touchbacks. He had two field goal attempts, missing both.

In 2006, as a sophomore, he was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after a game where he was 3-for-3. He scored 85 points that year, which led the team and was the third-highest single-season total in school history. He was 16-20. He also earned second-team All-SEC honors, and was named a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award.

In 2007, as a junior, Succop was named an Associated Press honorable mention All-SEC selection. He also earned SEC first-team preseason honors as a placekicker by the media. He was a second-team selection by the coaches and earned preseason second-team All-SEC honors as a punter by both the media and coaches. He was once again a Lou Groza Award candidate, and he was also named to the Ray Guy Award watch list. He went 13-for-17 in field goal attempts, earning SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after making all three field goals in a game.

Kansas City Chiefs
Succop was selected 256th overall, the final selection in the 2009 NFL Draft, by the Kansas City Chiefs, earning him the title of Mr. Irrelevant. He said of being drafted last, "I didn't choose to be Mr. Irrelevant. It just worked out that way. I'm just trying not to get caught up in it and focus more on the task at hand, which is trying to come in here and help the team. It's not one of those things I really think about too much, to be honest."

Succop and the Chiefs reportedly agreed on a three-year deal worth up to $1.2 million on June 17, 2009. Succop was going to compete with Connor Barth for the starting kicker job; however, Barth was released in July 2009.

On November 22, 2009, Succop kicked a 22-yard field goal in overtime to give Kansas City a 27–24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the defending Super Bowl champions.

Succop finished his rookie season tying an NFL record for highest field goal percentage by a rookie in a season with 86.2%. He also passed NFL Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud for most field goals made by a rookie in Chiefs history. He was awarded the Mack Lee Hill Award by the Chiefs in 2009, and led the team in scoring. He scored more points (104) than any other rookie in the NFL that year, and this placed him second in Chiefs history in scoring by a rookie. Succop was also named to NFL's All-Rookie team his rookie year.

On October 31, 2010, Succop made a 35-yard field goal as time expired in overtime to help the Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills 13-10. Exactly one year later, Succop made a field goal in overtime to beat the San Diego Chargers.

Succop's 2011 campaign started by making one of his first four field goal attempts. Succop went on to make his next 21 field goals until having two attempts blocked in a week 16 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

At the end of the 2011 season, Succop signed a five-year contract extension worth $14 million, which includes $2 million in guaranteed salary and $675,000 in incentives if Succop makes a Pro Bowl and the Chiefs make the playoffs every season of his contract.

On September 23, 2012, Succop became the Chiefs all-time leader in FGs attempted and FGs made in a single game (going 6-for-6) en route to a 27-24 OT win at the New Orleans Saints.