Highest Drafted Kickers in NFL History (Have Any Been Drafted in the First Round?)

When people think about the NFL Draft, especially the earlier rounds, kicker is just about the last position that comes to mind. Teams use first-round picks on quarterbacks, skill position players, offensive and defensive linemen, and cornerbacks, typically.

However, plenty of kickers have been drafted, and even a handful have been taken in the first round. The most recent one was when the Raiders drafted Sebastian Janikowski at No. 17 overall in the 2000 NFL Draft.

46 total kickers have been drafted in Round 4 or earlier in the history of the NFL Draft. While it's always a surprising pick in the earlier rounds, some have worked out, and others have been total flops.

Let's take a look at the highest drafted kickers in NFL history

Top-10 Highest Drafted Kickers in NFL History

1. Charlie Gogolak, Round 1, Pick No. 6, Washington Redskins (1966)

Charlie Gogolak is the highest-drafted kicker in league history and was actually selected in the same year in the 7th Round in the AFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, but elected to play for the Washington Redskins. Gogolak, despite his high draft position, did not come close to living up to that status in his career. He only played six seasons in the league and his career FG percentage was 55.9%. That number by today's standards might get you cut during your rookie season. Even in his best season, his last in 1972, he only hit 75.0% of his field goals, which isn't anything to hang your hat on either, especially being selected that high in the draft.

2. Russell Erxleben, Round 1, Pick No. 11, New Orleans Saints (1979)

When the Saints picked Russell Erxleben, he became the second-highest kicker ever drafted. A kicker in college for the famous Texas Longhorns, he was actually a punter in the NFL for six seasons. He did attempt a handful of field goals in the NFL but he was known for his time as the Saints punter. Oddly enough he holds the record for the longest field goal made in NCAA history at 67 yards.

3. Steve Little, Round 1, Pick No. 15, St. Louis Cardinals (1978)

It took more than 10 years for another team to commit a Round 1 pick to a kicker following Gogolak when the Cardinals selected Steve Little. He spent just three years in the NFL, kicking to an abysmal 48 percent career field goal percentage. In his final year in 1980, he went just 3.8 on FG attempts. He also served as the team's punter for the final two years of his career.

4. Sebastian Janikowski, Round 1, Pick No. 17, Oakland Raiders (2000)

Sebasitian Janikowski might be the only kicker ever that can come close to justifying his Round 1 draft status. It was still shocking when the Raiders selected him in 2000, but he was a workhorse and mainstay for Oakland for 17 years. He played one final season with the Seattle Seahawks in 2018 before retiring at the age of 40. He has a career FG percentage of 80.4 percent and had 11 seasons where he knocked in at least 80 percent of his attempts. He had a cannon of a leg and was left-footed, big bodied and brash. He was the common man's kicker and it worked well for 18 years. You can argue taking any kicker this high in the draft is a dumb idea, but if anyone was worth it, it was Janikowski.

5. Tony Zendejas, Round 1, Pick No. 27, Washington Redskins (1984, Supplemental Draft)

The Washington Redskins used a supplemental Round 1 pick on Tony Zendejas in 1984 and he stuck around in the NFL for 11 years, although he never actually suited up for the Redskins. He played for the Houston Oilers, Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. He had a 73.8 percent career field goal percentage and even went 17 for 17 in 1991.

6. John Lee, Round 2, Pick No. 5, Arizona Cardinals (1986)

7. Chester Marcol, Round 2, Pick No. 8, Green Bay Packers (1972)

8. Jeffy DePoyster, Round 2, Pick No. 10, Detroit Lions (1968)

9. Mike Nugent, Round 2, Pick No. 15, New York Jets (2005)

10. Chris Bahr, Round 2, Pick No. 23, Cincinnati Bengals (1976)

Below is a full view of every kicker selected in Round 4 or earlier in the NFL Draft.

History of Kickers Taken in the NFL Draft

Be sure to check out all of The Duel's coverage through the NFL Draft, from prospect rankings to odds and analysis.

David Kaestle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, David also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username davekaestle. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.