When a team takes a kicker in the NFL Draft, there is an air of excitement and concern in the draft room.

Kickers are often the unsung heroes of their team until it is time to make the critical game winning kick. Then those players once considered an afterthought become the thing that separates winning from losing.

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It's a tremendous pressure to put on the shoulders of a young player and in the wrong type of situation, it could destroy players' careers. The Rams do not need to look far away for an example of ruining young kickers as San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody looks like a shell of himself after an injury riddled season. Moody's confidence was shot after not only missing but being publicly confronted by teammate Deebo Samuel on the sideline.

The same situation could have happened to Karty if not for the Rams culture being a foundational force for development. One of the benefits of having young players work alongside veterans who have been apart of a Super Bowl winning organization is that everyone quickly learns what it takes to win a title and how to treat people in order to do so.

Karty was a phenom coming out of Stanford and many expected his efficient leg to immediately translate to the NFL. It did. Karty was excellent inside 50 yards but in the modern NFL, kickers need to hit kicks up to 60 yards. Karty did not get those oppertunites.

For the first nine weeks of the season, Karty only attempted one field goal from beyond 50 yards and despite the make, some questioned if his lack of opportunities were due to in game decisions or if the team didn't trust Karty.

Obviously it was the former as Karty has been excellent from all over the field since. He finished the year 6-7 from beyond 50 yards. Karty also quieted concerned revolving around his ability to hit PATs, despite missing four this year. One could chop it up to a learning curve and considering his numbers inside controlled environments, they should.

Due to his efficiency, Karty has broken the rookie kicker points record, passing Frank Corral. According to the Rams' Wyatt Miller, Karty "set multiple Rams records on Sunday, passing Frank Corral for the most points by a Rams kicker in their rookie season (119) and tying Corral for the most field goals made by a rookie kicker in franchise history (29)."

Corral played for Los Angeles from 1978-1981. In his rookie year, Corral would be selected as an All-Pro, Pro Bowler and was the NFL's scoring leader that season. Corral was a member of the Rams' team that made it to Super Bowl XIV.

Karty is hoping to emulate the success of Corral, topping it with a Lombardi trophy.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as Joshua Karty Breaks Significant Rams Record.