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Arizona State football fans haven’t had all too much to celebrate in the past year, but the program’s record-setting kicker, Zane Gonzalez, has served as a beacon of pride and honor. Gonzalez became the NCAA’s highest-scoring all-time kicker during his final year in Tempe, and has been touted as being the top special-teams prospect ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Sun Devil Nation got a sort of rude awakening on Saturday morning, when the Cincinnati Bengals drafted another kicker — Memphis’s Jake Elliott — with the ninth pick of the fifth round with Gonzalez still on the board.
Needless to say, the news was surprising, rattling the ASU fan base.
Zane Gonzalez is NOT the first kicker off the board...
— Joe Marino (@TheJoeMarino) April 29, 2017
First special teams player about to come off the board...
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) April 29, 2017
Wow, first kicker off board isn't #ASU's Zane Gonzalez; Bengals (who met with Gonzalez at Pro Day) choosing Memphis' Jake Elliott in R5.
— Kaelen Jones (@kaelenjones) April 29, 2017
I'm not sure specialists count, but Jake Elliott from Memphis is the second player not in the consensus top 300 selected so far.
— Arif Hasan (@ArifHasanNFL) April 29, 2017
I’m outraged https://t.co/Qmy5KymoDQ
— Adam Stites (@AdamStites_) April 29, 2017
Brace yourself for the next 600 tweets about Zane Gonalez
— Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith21) April 29, 2017
Bengals so dumb not taking Zane
— Dominic Cotroneo (@Dom_Cotroneo) April 29, 2017
Bengals doing Bengals things by taking the first kicker of the draft...and not Zane.
— Brad Denny (@BDenny29) April 29, 2017
When Zane Gonzalez isn't the first kicker off the board pic.twitter.com/LMrv7gtXZz
— Josh Nacion (@Josh_Nacion) April 29, 2017
Zane Gonzalez not the top kicker taken?! The disrespect.
— Kyle Vassalo (@VassaloBR) April 29, 2017
Wow ... Bengals take Memphis K Jake Elliott over #ASU Zane Gonzalez in 5th round ... didn't see that one coming ...
— jeffmetcalfe (@jeffmetcalfe) April 29, 2017
— Coach Ortiz (@DraftOrtiz) April 29, 2017
ASU Twitter at news that Zane Gonzalez was not the first kicker chosen in the #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/PSWnmB0Yfd
— Adam Green (@theAdamGreen) April 29, 2017
Hey, a kicker was drafted! It wasn't #ASU K Zane Gonzalez though...
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) April 29, 2017
Bengals: Let's take a kicker
— House of Sparky (@HouseOfSparky) April 29, 2017
Everyone: How about the guy who won the award for best kicker in the country last year?
Bengals: No thanks
Zane Gonzalez isn't the first kicker off the board...
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) April 29, 2017
Wut.
#Bengals select K Jake Elliot, from Memphis. He's tiny, 5'9" 167
— Owen Riese (@RieseDraft) April 29, 2017
Zane Gonzalez is not the first K picked in this Draft. The Bengals will regret it.
— Frenchie (@AloisVanish) April 29, 2017
Surprised Jake Elliott went over Zane Gonzalez. #KickerTweets
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 29, 2017
Jake Elliott might not even be a top 5 kicker in this class. Austin Rehkow and Younghoe Koo are significantly better.
— Ethan Hammerman (@Ethanhamm) April 29, 2017
That's not how you spell "Zane Gonzalez".... https://t.co/YonRsBql19
— Brad Denny (@BDenny29) April 29, 2017
Zane Gonzalez not the first K taken. bit of a surprise.
— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) April 29, 2017
First kicker off the board... not Zane.
— Josh Schaefer (@joshschaefer25) April 29, 2017
We live in a cruel and clueless world.
throw me in a river if I ever have a take on a kicker
— Derrik Klassen (@QBKlass) April 29, 2017
How are the Bengals gonna draft a kicker and have it not be Zane Gonzalez???
— LeBrown James (@TheAlvareezy_21) April 29, 2017
Don’t worry, folks. There’s still at least two rounds left to go before the conclusion of this year’s NFL draft.