I think the walk on kickers catch our eye when they do well, but not so much when they are mired behind a ship kicker.
I suspect the sship fellows do better in most cases.
A team might find a kicker with a strong leg but no accuracy and correct his technique etc. and "fix him". You often get little coaching in HS for kicking.
Anyway, everyone knows how a great kicker can "save a game" in a season while few other players have the capacity.