WESTFIELD — Cole Hedlund is used to pressure. His position demands it.

As a kicker, Hedlund is in the spotlight every time he walks on the field. The scrutiny is especially harsh now as he begins his first training camp with near impossible odds. To make the Colts roster, he will almost certainly need to beat out future Hall of Famer Adam Vinatieri.

However, the training camp process for kickers is different. While most position players battle for a spot on the depth chart, kickers battle for an impression that will resonate with teams across the NFL who might find themselves in need of help during the season.

Winding road to the NFL

Hedlund knows the realities of a kicker's job security all too well.

When he walked onto the Arkansas campus, he was the owner of the national high school record for field goals made in a season (25) and had made 157 consecutive PATs at one point. His abilities earned him Parade All-American honors and was 247sports.com's No. 3 kicker in the country.

Yet, the prowess he showed while playing for Argyle (Texas) High School did not translate to Fayetteville. After redshirting his freshman season, Hedlund only converted 60% of his field goal tries in his 13 games as a starter. The following season, Hedlund was only featured in eight games, making five of his seven attempts. While he had yet to miss a PAT for the Razorbacks, the pressure was on heading into his junior season.

He didn't help matters when he missed a 23-yard attempt and doinked a 20-yard attempt off the left upright in Arkansas' 14-7 loss to TCU in its second game of the season.

After the game, Arkansas fans tore into Hedlund on social media, with some imploring him to quit football. Then-Arkansas coach Bret Bielema benched Hedlund for the remainder of the season.

After watching the season from the sideline, Hedlund moved on. He transferred to North Texas, where he rediscovered his confidence and converted 19 of his 22 field goal attempts. He made all of his PATs and field goal attempts when he returned to Fayetteville as part of the Mean Green's 44-17 drubbing of Arkansas.

The return to form put Hedlund back into the minds of NFL scouts. Immediately after the 2019 NFL Draft concluded, Hedlund's phone started ringing with rookie minicamp offers.

Learning from the best

When the Colts asked Hedlund to try out, he was ecstatic.

"It's an unbelievable opportunity," Hedlund said. "I'm very thankful for that. Coming in as a rookie and being able to learn from the greatest ever, it's just absolutely incredible."

Hedlund's minicamp performance earned him a Colts training camp roster spot. It also exposed the fickle nature of a kicker's job security, as the team cut fellow rookie Clayton Hatfield upon signing Hedlund.

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Still, the spot on the roster far from guarantees the 24-year-old a roster spot when the season begins. The Colts wouldn't have signed Vinatieri to a one-year extension worth $3.875 million in January for the veteran to ride the bench or not make the roster.

The situation has not fazed Hedlund, as he continues to see training camp as an opportunity to show he can kick at an NFL level.

"I knew coming in that I want to do the best I can and take advantage of every moment possible," Hedlund said. "Just keeping my head down and continuing to work."

Vinatieri's presence actually encouraged Hedlund to consider the Colts' offer. It offered him a chance to learn from the player who has been kicking in the NFL as long as Hedlund has been alive.

As a bonus, the Colts and Vinatieri have a successful track record when it comes to producing NFL-level kickers in the preseason. In the 2018 season, the Broncos (Brandon McManus), Chargers (Michael Badgley) and Bears (Cody Parkey) used kickers whose rookie training camp came with the Colts.

So far, Hedlund has tried to be a sponge around Vinatieri, from following the veteran as he prepares for practice to asking what it's like kicking in snow.

"I try to be as open as I can if he has questions to ask," Vinatieri said. "As far as communication, it's been good. He's a really good young kicker and I guess if I can give him a couple nuggets of wisdom I've learned over the years, it helps him out maybe."

Hedlund will have the remainder of the preseason to showcase his abilities. In the event the Colts waive him following training camp, which seems likely, a good showing would put him on the radar of teams facing kicking woes during the season.

"I knew (Vinatieri) was here," Hedlund said. "But just being able to learn and understand more of the NFL, how it works and stuff like that, there's not a better person to learn from than him. It's just a great opportunity."