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PIT Pittsburgh Steelers · WR· #10 · also kick returner

Kaden Wetjen

Age
24
Height
5'9"
Weight
193 lbs
College
Iowa; Iowa Western CC
Drafted
2026, No. 121 overall (PIT)
Experience
Rookie
Compare with another playerPunt returners leaderboard

45

Overall grade

28th of 34 punt returners

Well below typical

below average; 50 is average

Grades updated Rechecked every few hours on game days

The read

Kaden grades below average among punt returners so far, with no number far from the middle.

Written from his numbers, not from film. 5 games are behind the season figures.

How he stacks up

Every graded stat at a glance, against all the punt returners in the league.

  • Yards per return8.6 yds18th of 24small sample
  • EPA per punt fielded−0.1029th of 34small sample

Left is the worst at his job, right is the best, and the line down the middle is average. The bubble is his percentile: 90 means better than nine in ten qualifying punt returners. Faded bars are still small samples.

How he has progressed

Where he has ranked among punt returners after each week, and every game behind it.

WorstMiddleBestrecent12345Week 1: 10th percentileWeek 2: 18th percentileWeek 3: 22nd percentileWeek 4: 19th percentileWeek 5: 15th percentile15th

Season rank holding near the 15th percentile since Wk 1.

The line is his season-to-date rank among players at his position after each week, from 100 (the best) to 0 (the worst). It rises when he passes other players, not when he has one big game. Early weeks are noisier because fewer plays are behind them. The shaded weeks are the recent stretch.

EPA per punt fielded game by game
WeekOpponentThat gamepuntsSeason rank after
1vs ATL−0.24410th pct
2vs NE−0.01318th pct
3vs CIN+0.17222nd pct
4vs CLE−0.22219th pct
5vs IND−0.12115th pct

One game is a small sample: a single stat over 2 punts can swing on a handful of plays. Shaded rows are the recent stretch.

The numbers, in context

Each one against every punt returner with at least 5 punts fielded. Right on the strip is better.

EPA per punt fielded

Well below typical

−0.10

29th of 34 punt returners · bottom 18%

Expected points added: how many points the play added to (or took from) the offense's scoring chances, given the down, the distance and the field position. From his team's side, for every punt he fields, fair catches included.

The box score: Return average ignores fair catches and the starting field position.

Does it show up in winning? Across 54 games league-wide, a good or bad game on EPA per punt fielded from a punt returner has not lined up much with his team winning (61% wins in the best third, 53% in the worst).

Last 2 games: −0.18 (3) vs −0.07 before+2.6grade points upWithin the noise

Small sample: could move a lot · 12 punts · true level likely −0.48 to +0.28

Yards per return

Below typical

8.6 yds

18th of 24 punt returners · bottom 30%

Average yards when he returns the punt (fair catches excluded).

The box score: This is the box score number.

Last 2 games: 10.0 yds (3) vs 7.8 yds before+5.1grade points upWithin the noise

Small sample: could move a lot · 8 returns · true level likely 4.0 yds to 13.3 yds

How he plays

Tendencies: how his game differs from the punt returners around him. These are not better or worse, only different, and often say as much about the offense or defense he plays in as about him.

Fair catch rate

Style

33%

Returns almost everything, more than most punt returners. A typical one is 41%.

How often he fair catches instead of returning, a choice about risk.

Small sample: could move a lot · 12 punts

Game by game

Every game this season: how it ended for his team, how much he played, his box score, and the advanced numbers from that one game. One game is a small sample, so read the right-hand columns as a snapshot, not his level.

Kaden Wetjen game by game
GameResultFieldedYdsEPA/puntYds/return
Wk 1 vs ATLW 20–13413−0.246.5 yds
Wk 2 vs NEL 3–20321−0.0110.5 yds
Wk 3 vs CINW 30–2725+0.175.0 yds
Wk 4 vs CLEL 24–27230−0.2215.0 yds
Wk 5 vs INDW 34–2210−0.120.0 yds

The box score

The traditional totals, with where each ranks among punt returners. A total rewards volume, which is why the advanced numbers above matter.

Kaden Wetjen box score totals
StatTotalRank
Punts fielded127th of 34
Return yards6913th of 34

Players with a similar profile

The punt returners whose grades are closest to his across the same stats. Similar means similar numbers, not the same style of play.

As a kick returner

Points added and yards gained on kickoff returns.

The read

Kaden grades below average among kick returners so far, with no number far from the middle.

Written from his numbers, not from film. 5 games are behind the season figures.

How he stacks up

Every graded stat at a glance, against all the kick returners in the league.

  • EPA per return+0.1935th of 53
  • Yards per return22.5 yds48th of 53small sample

Left is the worst at his job, right is the best, and the line down the middle is average. The bubble is his percentile: 90 means better than nine in ten qualifying kick returners. Faded bars are still small samples.

How he has progressed

Where he has ranked among kick returners after each week, and every game behind it.

WorstMiddleBestrecent12345Week 2: 55th percentileWeek 3: 36th percentileWeek 4: 42nd percentileWeek 5: 35th percentile35th

Season rank slipped: 55th to 35th percentile since Wk 2.

The line is his season-to-date rank among players at his position after each week, from 100 (the best) to 0 (the worst). It rises when he passes other players, not when he has one big game. Early weeks are noisier because fewer plays are behind them. The shaded weeks are the recent stretch.

EPA per return game by game
WeekOpponentThat gamereturnsSeason rank after
1vs ATL+0.831–
2vs NE+0.19455th pct
3vs CIN+0.05436th pct
4vs CLE+0.18442nd pct
5vs IND+0.17535th pct

One game is a small sample: a single stat over 4 returns can swing on a handful of plays. Shaded rows are the recent stretch.

The numbers, in context

Each one against every kick returner with at least 5 returns. Right on the strip is better.

EPA per return

Below typical

+0.19

35th of 53 kick returners · bottom 36%

Expected points added: how many points the play added to (or took from) the offense's scoring chances, given the down, the distance and the field position. From his team's side, for each kickoff he returns.

The box score: Return average ignores the starting field position the team would have had anyway.

Does it show up in winning? Across 82 games league-wide, teams won 54% of the time when their kick returner was in the best third on EPA per return, and 30% when he was in the worst third.

Last 2 games: +0.18 (9) vs +0.20 before+1.3grade points upWithin the noise

Sample still growing · 18 returns · true level likely −0.12 to +0.50

Yards per return

Among the weakest

22.5 yds

48th of 53 kick returners · bottom 12%

Average yards per kickoff return.

The box score: This is the box score number.

Does it show up in winning? Across 82 games league-wide, teams won 63% of the time when their kick returner was in the best third on yards per return, and 30% when he was in the worst third.

Last 2 games: 22.9 yds (9) vs 22.1 yds before+2.6grade points upWithin the noise

Small sample: could move a lot · 18 returns · true level likely 19.0 yds to 26.0 yds

Game by game

Every game this season: how it ended for his team, how much he played, his box score, and the advanced numbers from that one game. One game is a small sample, so read the right-hand columns as a snapshot, not his level.

Kaden Wetjen game by game
GameResultRetYdsEPA/returnYds/return
Wk 1 vs ATLW 20–13127+0.8327.0 yds
Wk 2 vs NEL 3–20492+0.1923.0 yds
Wk 3 vs CINW 30–27480+0.0520.0 yds
Wk 4 vs CLEL 24–27496+0.1824.0 yds
Wk 5 vs INDW 34–225110+0.1722.0 yds

The box score

The traditional totals, with where each ranks among kick returners. A total rewards volume, which is why the advanced numbers above matter.

Kaden Wetjen box score totals
StatTotalRank
Returns181st of 53
Return yards4054th of 53

Players with a similar profile

The kick returners whose grades are closest to his across the same stats. Similar means similar numbers, not the same style of play.

Ranks are among players at the same job who have enough plays to be graded. Grades and rankings come from play-by-play, charting and snap-count data, so they cannot see blocking, route running or assignments. See how the grades work.

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Data: nflverse play-by-play, CC BY 4.0. Also FTN charting, Pro Football Reference advanced stats, snap counts and injury reports, all through nflverse. Calculations and charts by Raiders Rundown.

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