We wanted to take a look today at the highest drafted kickers in NFL history. In reverse order, here is the top ten.

10. Jason Hanson – Washington State University
In 1992, the Detroit Lions used their 2nd round pick, the 56th overall, to select Jason Hanson. Hanson would kick for the team for 18 years, working his way into being one of the best ever.

9. Chip Lohmiller – University of Minnesota
The Washington Redskins selected Chip Lohmiller with the 55th overall pick, a second rounder, in 1988. He would have some great seasons and contribute to some of Washington’s best teams.

8. Chris Bahr – Penn State University
In 1976, the Cincinnati Bengals used their second round pick, the 51st overall selection of the draft, to take Penn State’s Chris Bahr. Bahr would kick in the NFL for more than 14 years for the Bengals, Raiders, and Chargers.

7. Mike Nugent – Ohio State University
In 2005, the New York Jets selected kicker Mike Nugent in the second round with the 47th pick overall. He continues to be a valuable addition to the team.

6. Jerry DePoyster – University of Wyoming
The 37th pick of the 1968 NFL Draft, a second round pick, was used by the Detroit Lions to choose Jerry DePoyster. He stayed in the league just five years and also kicked for the Oakland Raiders.

5. Chester Marcol – Hillsdale College
In 1972, the Green Bay Packers used their 2nd round pick, the 34th overall, on kicker Chester Marcol out of Hillsdale College in Michigan. Marcol would kick for the team until 1980. He is also one of just four players from Hillsdale to ever play in the NFL.

4. John Lee – UCLA
The St. Louis Cardinals used their second round pick, the 32nd overall, on two time All American kicker John Lee out of UCLA. Lee had set a great many records while kicking in college, many of which that still stand, but he was out of football after just one season.

3. Sebastian Janikowski – Florida State University
The Oakland Raiders used the 17th pick in the first round when they made Florida State’s Sebastian Janikowski the third kicker ever picked in the first round of the NFL Draft. Janikowski still kicks for the Raiders and has had a very successful career.

2. Steve Little – University of Arkansas
In 1978, the St. Louis Cardinals selected Steve Little with their first round pick, the 15th overall. Little would only start two seasons and after a third would be out of the NFL. Little would also punt during his short career.

1. Charlie Gogolak – Princeton University
In 1968, the Washington Redskins made Princeton’s Charlie Gogolak the first kicker ever selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. He was one of the first “soccer style” kickers to play in the NFL and was somewhat successful during his seven year career. His younger brother Pete would also play in the NFL.

Kickers are very important, but are often not selected in the first round of NFL Drafts. In fact, the first NFL Draft was held in 1936 and since then only three kickers have been selected in the first round. Choosing kickers is a tough job for NFL teams, as is obvious by the fact that many of the highest drafted overall are not among the best kickers to ever play in the game.

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Winning the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the best college football player of the year, brings with it a lot of attention and praise. The players who win this award are some of the best players to ever play college football. While many of them are drafted highly into the National Football League, winning the award is not a guarantee of pro football success.

Since the first Heisman Trophy was awarded in 1935 and through the year 2010, a span of 75 years, only eight players have won the Heisman Trophy and gone on to be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Here is a brief look at each one of those exceptional athletes.

Doak Walker
Doak Walker starred at running back at Southern Methodist University and won the Heisman Trophy in 1948. He went on to play in the NFL and had a very successful career. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1986. The Doak Walker Award is named after him.

Paul Hornung
Paul Hornung won the Heisman Trophy in 1956 while starring for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He would go on to become one of the integral parts of Vince Lombardi’s 1960′s championship Green Bay Packers teams. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.

Roger Staubach
Playing for Navy, Roger Staubach had an incredibly successful college career and even won the Heisman Trophy in 1963. He would go on to become one of the most famous football players in the league as the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys during the 1970′s when they were winning Super Bowls and establishing themselves as America’s Team. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson had an awesome career at the University of Southern California that culminated with him winning the Heisman Trophy in 1968. He would star for the Buffalo Bills and put up staggering numbers that had never been seen before from the running back position. He would go into the Hall of Fame in 1985.

Tony Dorsett
Tony Dorsett won the Heisman Trophy in 1976 while playing college football for the University of Pittsburgh. He would go on to bigger fame as the star running back of the Dallas Cowboys. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994.

Earl Campbell
Earl Campbell would play college football at the University of Texas where his exploits are still legendary. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1977 and then went on to become a star in the NFL with the Houston Oilers. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.

Marcus Allen
The University of Southern California had one of the best all around running backs ever during the early 1980′s in Marcus Allen. Following his college career, and his Heisman Trophy which he won in 1981, he was a star throughout the 1980′s for the Raiders. He played for the team in both Oakland and Los Angeles before ending his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders put up incredible numbers at Oklahoma State University and won the Heisman Trophy in 1988. He would go on to play his entire career with the Detroit Lions, establishing himself as possibly the best to ever play the game. He was elected to be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

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-The trade the team made to move up and select him 5th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft was the largest draft day trade in the team’s history.

-As a rookie, before even playing one down in the NFL, the Jets signed Mark Sanchez to a five year $50 million dollar contract, with $28 million of it guaranteed. This is the biggest contract the Jets have ever signed with any player in their history.

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Which college though have the New York Giants drafted the most players out of?

The New York Giants have drafted 30 players over the years from the University of Mississippi:

1937 – Jim Poole – end
1942 – Junie Hovious – halfback
1942 – Merle Hapes – fullback
1944 – Ray Poole – defensive end
1944 – Ollie Poole – defensive end
1948 – Bill Erickson – guard
1950 – Bill Stribling – end
1952 – Rex Boggan – defensive tackle
1952 – Mel Sinquefield – center
1954 – Crawford Mims – guard
1954 – Pete Mangum – linebacker
1955 – Jimmy Patton – defensive back
1955 – Lea Paslay – back
1956 – Ed Crawford – defensive back
1956 – Bob McCool – back
1957 – Jerry Stone – center
1958 – John West – tackle
1958 – Billy Hurst – back
1958 – John West – tackle
1958 – Billy Lott – fullback
1959 – Charlie Flowers – fullback
1960 – George Blair – defensive back
1961 – Jerry Daniels – end
1961 – Allen Green – kicker
1961 – Bob Benton – tackle
1962 – Bookie Bolin – guard
1964 – Chuck R. Hinton – center
1964 – Frank Kinard – halfback
1965 – Frank Lambert – punter
1989 – Rodney Lowe – defensive end

Next on the list, tied with 24 players apiece, are the University of Texas and USC.

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Quarterbacks

No quarterback from Arizona State has gone on to have more statistical success in the NFL than Jake Plummer. Plummer started 136 games during his NFL career and won 69 games. He also threw for 29,253 yards and 161 touchdowns during his career, both tops for any former ASU quarterback. The quarterback that is second to Plummer in those and most other categories is for Dallas Cowboys player Danny White. White doesn’t have as many career wins as Plummer, but his record is a lot better as he won 62 and lost only 30 during his career. Other ASU quarterbacks to make their mark in the NFL include Bill Kenney, Mark Malone, Mike Pagel, Bob Lee, Paul Justin, Andrew Walter, Todd Hons, and Jeff Van Raaphorst.

Running Backs

Arizona State has had some great running backs over the years and some of them have even gone on to excel in the NFL. Running back is one of the toughest positions to put up a long career at, and statistically one former Sun Devils player stands above most of the rest. Gerald Riggs, who went on to star for the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins, ranks first in the categories of games started, rushing attempts (1,989), rushing yards (8,188), and rushing touchdowns (69). In second place in most of those and other rushing categories is Hall of Fame fullback John Henry Johnson. Other ASU running backs to play significantly in the NFL include Leonard Russell, Mario Bates, Benny Malone, Art Malone, Tony Lorick, and Gene Foster.

Receivers

The best NFL receiver ever turned out by Arizona is without a doubt Charley Taylor. Taylor had a long career and was very effective throughout it. He finished his career with 649 receptions for 9,110 yards, and 79 touchdowns. While Taylor sits at the top of the list, John Jefferson also had a very productive career, finishing with 351 receptions for 5,714 yards and 47 touchdowns. Two tight ends from Arizona State have also put up great receiving numbers, Jerry Smith and Todd Heap. Other prominent receivers who came out of ASU include Ron Brown, Larry Walton, Shaun McDonald, Ben Hawkins, Bruce Hill, Morris Owens, J.D. Hill, Bruce Hardy, Keith Poole, Zach Miller, Fair Hooker, Jerry Bell, and Aaron Cox.

Defense

Arizona State has also turned out some very good defensive players. Defensive statistics are a little fuzzy as they weren’t always kept before the early 1970′s. Based on available stats though, here is a look at some of the best defensive players from ASU. Trace Armstrong has recorded more sacks in the NFL than any other former Sun Devils player with 106, just ahead of the 102.5 that was put up by Jim Jeffcoat. No defensive player from Arizona State played in as many games (214), intercepted as many passes (54), or scored as many defensive touchdowns (8) as all world defensive back Eric Allen. The leading tackler in the NFL out of former ASU players is Darren Woodson with 803 tackles. This is just one more than the player in second place, Derek Smith. Some of the other notable defensive players to leave Arizona State and go on to play in the NFL include Mark Gastineau, Terrell Suggs, Mike Haynes, John Harris, Dan Saleaumua, David Fulcher, Al Harris, Louis Wright, Adam Archuleta, Phillippi Sparks, Brian Noble, Mike Richardson, Bob Breunig, Derrick Rodgers, Darren Comeaux, and Pat Tillman.

Little known info about Arizona State football players in the NFL:

-Jake Plummer, Danny White, and Bob Lee are the only former ASU quarterbacks to have winning records as starters in the NFL.

-The player who went on to score the most points in the NFL after playing football at ASU is kicker Mike Mercer with 594 points. This is 54 points ahead of the second place name on the list, Charley Taylor.

-The former ASU football player who went on to make it to the most NFL Pro Bowls is offensive guard Randall McDaniel. Twelve times during his career he was a Pro Bowler.

-The longest touchdown run in the NFL by a player from Arizona State went for 87 yards and was run in by John Henry Johnson. Second on the list is a 77 yarder by Robert Weathers.

-Defensive tackle Dan Saleaumua scored on three safeties during his NFL career. This is more than any other former Sun Devil.

-The tallest player ever drafted out of Arizona State University was offensive tackle Juan Roque who measured in at 6’8″.

-The heaviest player ever drafted out of ASU was offensive guard David Dixon who weighed in at 343 pounds at the time of the 1994 NFL Draft.

-When ranking the top ten former Sun Devils players by how many rushing yards they gained in the NFL, number eight on the list is quarterback Jake Plummer (1,853 yards rushing) and number ten on the list is Hall of Fame wide receiver Charley Taylor (1,488 yards rushing).

-No former ASU defensive player recovered more fumbles in the NFL than defensive tackle Dan Saleaumua with 18.

-The longest touchdown pass thrown by a former Arizona State Sun Devils player went for 85 yards and was thrown by quarterback Jake Plummer.

-Quarterback Danny White also played punter for much of his career. He ended up with more punts (610) and put yardage (24,509) in the NFL than any former ASU player.

-The longest career NFL touchdown reception ever caught by a former ASU player went for 92 yards and was caught by Ben Hawkins.

-The second longest touchdown pass ever caught in the NFL by a former Sun Devils player went for 90 yards and quarterback Mark Malone was actually on the receiving end of it.

-The leading kick returner in NFL history from ASU is Ron Brown who scored four kick return touchdowns and gained 4,493 yards. The leading punt returner is Eric Guliford who amassed 1,300 yards and 1 touchdown during his career. Neither player scored the most return touchdowns though, Mike Haynes scored twice on punt returns and Travis Williams scored six times on kick returns.

-Non-quarterbacks from ASU who threw passes for touchdowns during their NFL career include running backs Gene Foster (1), John Henry Johnson (2), and Mario Bates (1); as well as receivers Charley Taylor (1) and Larry Walton (1)

-The highest an Arizona State player has ever been taken in the NFL Draft is with the third pick of the first round. This happened in 1964, when the Washington Redskins used that pick to take wide receiver Charley Taylor.

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With 10 selections in 11 seasons, “Mean” Joe Greene is the leader in this category. Four players are tied for second with nine Pro Bowl selections, they are Ernie Stautner, Franco Harris, Mike Webster, and Jack Lambert.

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The college with the most players drafted by the Seahawks is: The University of Miami.

The twelve players from Miami that have been drafted by Seattle are:

Baraka Atkins
Kelly Jennings
Carlos Jones
Anthony Hamlet
Cortez Kennedy
Brian Blades
Derwin Jones
Darryl Oliver
David Jefferson
George Halas
Ernie Jones
Larry Bates

The college with the second most players selected by the Seattle Seahawks is the University of Washington with 10.

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-Through the 2009 season, 374 different players have gone from playing football for the Buckeyes to playing football in the NFL.

-There are five former Ohio State Buckeyes players enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They are Lou Groza, Dante Lavelli, Jim Parker, Paul Warfield, and Bill Willis.

-With 131 career NFL touchdowns, no former Ohio State player has scored more touchdowns in the NFL than wide receiver Cris Carter.

-The former Buckeyes football player that went on to play more NFL games than any other was defensive lineman Jim Marshall who played in 282 games during his NFL career.

-Two players are tied for the most Pro Bowl appearances by a former Ohio State Buckeyes player at 9 appearances each. The players sharing this distinction are Hall of Famer Lou Groza who played from 1946 to 1967 and Jim Tyrer who played from 1961 to 1974.

-The heaviest player ever drafted into the NFL out of Ohio State was offensive tackle Korey Stringer who was listed at 350 pounds on the day of the 1995 NFL Draft.

-Lou Groza played more seasons in the NFL than any other former Buckeyes player with 21 seasons under his belt.

-In the 2006 NFL Draft, the Ohio State Buckeyes had an amazing five players taken in the first round: A.J. Hawk, Donte Whitner, Bobby Carpenter, Santonio Holmes, and Nick Mangold.

-The Ohio State Buckeyes have had three players chosen with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. This first happened in 1982 when the Buffalo Bills selected linebacker Tom Cousineau, it happened again in 1994 when the Bengals chose defensive lineman Dan Wilkinson, and happened a third time in 1997 when the St. Louis Rams selected offensive tackle Orlando Pace.

-The Buckeyes have had just one quarterback drafted into the NFL in the first round. That player was Art Schlichter who was picked in the first round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts.

-11 players have played quarterback at Ohio State and gone on to play in the NFL, they are Dave Leggett, John Borton, Art Schlichter, Mike Tomczak, Scott Woolf, Tom Tupa, Kent Graham, Bobby Hoying, Joe Germaine, Craig Krenzel, and Troy Smith.

-The tallest player ever drafted into the NFL out of Ohio State stands at six feet seven inches tall. Two players tie for this record. Defensive end Eric Kumerow was 6’7″ when he was drafted in 1988 and Orlando Pace was 6’7″ at the time of the 1997 NFL Draft.

-The most players taken in one draft out of Ohio State is 13. This happened twice, first in 1971 and then again in 1975. Ohio State’s 1971 NFL Draft class: John Brockington, Jack Tatum, Tim Anderson, Leo Hayden, Jan White, Jim Stillwagon, Doug Adams, Mike Sensibaugh, Larry Zelina, Bruce Jankowskie, Rex Kern, Ron Maciejowski, and Mark Debevc. Ohio State’s 1975 NFL Draft class: Kurt Schumacher, Doug France, Neil Colzie, Pete Cusick, Steve Luke, Harold Henson, Bruce Elia, Jim Cope, Dave Hazel, Steve Myers, Doug Plank, Larry O’Rourke, and Mike Bartoszek.

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The answer is not shocking, over the years the Minnesota Vikings have picked 19 players from the University of Minnesota. Here is a look at the players taken over the years (year drafted ? round drafted ? player’s name – position).

Players drafted by the Minnesota Vikings from the University of Minnesota:

1963 – 2nd – Bobby Bell – linebacker
1963 – 11th – John Campbell – linebacker
1964 – 1st – Carl Eller – defensive end
1964 – 20th – Milt Sunde – guard
1965 – 8th – John Hankinson – quarterback
1967 – 5th – Ken Last – end
1968 – 10th – Tom Sakal – defensive back
1969 – 9th – Tom Fink – guard
1969 – 12th – Noel Jenke – linebacker
1971 – 15th – Jeff Wright – defensive back
1972 – 3rd – Bart Buetow – tackle
1973 – 6th – Doug Kingsriter – tight end
1973 – 17th – Dave Winfield – tight end
1975 – 15th – Ollie Bakken – linebacker
1978 – 12th – Jeff Morrow – tackle
1982 – 4th – Jim Fahnhorst – linebacker
1990 – 12th – Ron Goetz – linebacker
1991 – 5th – Chris Thorne – center
2000 – 4th – Tyrone Carter – defensive back

A couple of notes about that selection of players. There are two players in that group that would eventually make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Bobby Bell and Carl Eller. Bell of course was also drafted that year by the AFL‘s Kansas City Chiefs and that is where he chose to play his career. Another player in that list made it into the Hall of Fame too, this time the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1973, that is baseball’s Dave Winfield that the Vikings drafted. He would go on to fame as a member of the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, and a few other teams.

The University of Minnesota sits atop the list with 19 selections. In second is the University of Miami with 13, followed by USC with 11, and Boston College with 10.

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a number of great Jaguars have come to the team through the draft including Tony Boselli, James Stewart, Kevin Hardy, Fred Taylor, Donovin Darius, Jason Craft, David Garrard, Byron Leftwich, Josh Scobee, Maurice Jones-Drew, and more. The Jaguars first draft pick in the first draft they participated in was used on offensive tackle Tony Boselli. Boselli would go on to pay immediate dividends by making it to five Pro Bowl games, more than any other Jaguars draft pick. The next closest Jaguar is defensive tackle Marcus Stroud who the team took with the 13th overall pick in 2001 and has so far made it to three Pro Bowls.

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