List of Kansas State Wildcats in the NFL Draft
This is a list of Kansas State Wildcats football players drafted into the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). Kansas State has had a total of 147 players selected – including five players taken in the first round – from the first NFL Draft in 1936 through the 2020 NFL Draft.[1][2][3] Kansas State had a streak of having at least one player drafted into the NFL for 26 consecutive years (1994–2019), until it ended in 2020.
Josh Freeman was drafted 17th overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2009 NFL Draft.
After the NFL merged with the AFL in 1966, the history of the AFL was officially adopted by the NFL and therefore this list includes players taken in the AFL Draft (1960–1966) and in the Common Draft (1967–1969) in addition to the NFL Draft.[3] Once the AFL officially merged with the NFL in 1970, the "Common Draft" simply became the NFL Draft. Because four KSU players were selected in both the NFL and AFL drafts, the total number of selections listed below is 151 (including one "redshirt" selection in the 1965 AFL Draft), through the 2019 draft.
Each NFL franchise seeks to add new players through the annual NFL Draft. The draft rules were last updated in 2009. The team with the worst record the previous year picks first, the next-worst team second, and so on. Teams that did not make the playoffs are ordered by their regular-season record with any remaining ties broken by strength of schedule. Playoff participants are sequenced after non-playoff teams, based on their round of elimination (wild card, division, conference, and Super Bowl).
Key
| B | Back | K | Kicker | NT | Nose tackle |
| C | Center | LB | Linebacker | DB | Defensive back |
| P | Punter | HB | Halfback | DE | Defensive end |
| QB | Quarterback | WR | Wide receiver | DT | Defensive tackle |
| RB | Running back | G | Guard | E | End |
| T | Offensive tackle | TE | Tight end | FB | Fullback |
| * | Selected to a Pro Bowl | ||||
| † | Won a NFL championship | ||||
| ‡ | Selected to a Pro Bowl and won an NFL championship | ||||
Players selected
Terence Newman was drafted 5th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2003 NFL Draft.
Michael Bishop was drafted in the 7th round by the New England Patriots in the 1999 NFL Draft.
Jordy Nelson was drafted 36th overall by the Green Bay Packers in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Mark Simoneau was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in 2000 NFL draft.
| Year | Round | Pick | Overall | Player | Position | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | — | — | — | John Littlejohn | B | Buffalo Bills | also selected in NFL Draft |
| — | — | — | Joe Vader | E | Dallas Texans | — | |
| 1961 | 6 | 1 | 41 | Dale Evans | B | Denver Broncos | also selected in NFL Draft |
| 30 | 6 | 238 | Cedric Price | E | Dallas Texans | — | |
| 1963 | 26 | 4 | 204 | Willis Crenshaw | B | Buffalo Bills | also selected in NFL Draft |
| 1965 | 7 | 4 | 52 | Ron Barlow | FB | New York Jets | — |
| 1966 | 9 | 1 | 74 | Bill Matan | E | Miami Dolphins | also selected in NFL Draft |
| Year | Round | Pick | Overall | Player | Position | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | 3 | 6 | 26 | Maurice Elder | B | Boston Redskins | starter on undefeated 1937 Los Angeles Bulldogs |
| 7 | 6 | 66 | Rolla Holland | G | Boston Redskins | — | |
| 9 | 1 | 81 | Paul Fanning | T | Philadelphia Eagles | — | |
| 1940 | 11 | 2 | 92 | Elmer Hackney | RB | Philadelphia Eagles | — |
| 15 | 2 | 142 | Don Crumbaker | E | Philadelphia Eagles | — | |
| 1940 | 20 | 3 | 183 | Bill DeBord | T | Philadelphia Eagles | — |
| 1941 | 11 | 8 | 98 | Bernie Weiner | T | Brooklyn Dodgers | — |
| 1944 | 13 | 11 | 131 | Mike Zeleznak | B | Boston Yanks | — |
| 24 | 8 | 249 | Jack Bortka | B | Chicago Bears | — | |
| 1945 | 11 | 2 | 100 | Earl Haury | T | Brooklyn Tigers | — |
| 16 | 2 | 155 | Jim Ungles | B | Pittsburgh Steelers | — | |
| 23 | 8 | 238 | Mike Vargon | E | Chicago Bears | — | |
| 1946 | 31 | 5 | 295 | Dale Cowan | T | Los Angeles Rams | — |
| 1950 | 7 | 9 | 88 | Rollin Prather | E | Chicago Bears | — |
| 1953 | 13 | 7 | 152 | Jack McShulski | E | New York Giants | — |
| 1954 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Veryl Switzer | HB | Green Bay Packers | — |
| 1955 | 2 | 6 | 19 | Corky Taylor | B | Los Angeles Rams | — |
| 7 | 7 | 80 | Ron Marciniak | G | Washington Redskins | — | |
| 19 | 12 | 229 | Tom Ebert | E | Cleveland Browns | — | |
| 25 | 9 | 298 | Dewey Wade | E | San Francisco 49ers | — | |
| 1956 | 7 | 8 | 81 | Ron Nery | T | New York Giants | AFL All-Pro (1961) |
| 13 | 12 | 157 | Jim Furey | C | Cleveland Browns | — | |
| 26 | 5 | 306 | Chuck Zickefoose | E | Chicago Cardinals | — | |
| 29 | 6 | 343 | Jim Rusher | E | Baltimore Colts | — | |
| 1958 | 7 | 10 | 83 | Ralph Pfeifer | B | Detroit Lions | — |
| 9 | 1 | 98 | John Keelan | T | Chicago Cardinals | — | |
| 19 | 6 | 223 | Gene Keady | B | Pittsburgh Steelers | — | |
| 30 | 9 | 358 | Ted Stahura | T | San Francisco 49ers | — | |
| 1959 | 29 | 3 | 339 | John Stolte | T | Philadelphia Eagles | — |
| 1960 | 16 | 5 | 185 | John Littlejohn | B | Green Bay Packers | — |
| 1961 | 6 | 8 | 78 | Dale Evans | B | St. Louis Cardinals | — |
| 1963 | 9 | 2 | 114 | Willis Crenshaw | B | St. Louis Cardinals | — |
| 1964 | 17 | 5 | 229 | Joe Provenzano | T | Detroit Lions | — |
| 1965 | 16 | 4 | 214 | Doug Dusenbury | K | Pittsburgh Steelers | — |
| 20 | 5 | 271 | Don Barlow | T | Dallas Cowboys | — | |
| 1966 | 8 | 8 | 118 | Bill Matan | WR | New York Giants | — |
| 18 | 11 | 271 | Willie Jones | DT | St. Louis Cardinals | — | |
| 1968 | 16 | 13 | 421 | Dan Lankas | LB | St. Louis Cardinals | — |
| 1969 | 5 | 17 | 121 | Cornelius Davis | RB | Minnesota Vikings | — |
| 8 | 9 | 191 | Larry Brown* | RB | Washington Redskins | NFL MVP (1972) Pro Bowl (1969, 70, 71, 72) Washington Redskins Ring of Fame | |
| 11 | 14 | 280 | Dave Jones | WR | Washington Redskins | — | |
| 15 | 14 | 378 | Bob Coble | P | Chicago Bears | — | |
| 1970 | 4 | 1 | 79 | Lynn Larson | T | Chicago Bears | — |
| 6 | 2 | 132 | Manuel Barrera | LB | Pittsburgh Steelers | — | |
| 6 | 13 | 143 | Mack Herron | RB | Atlanta Falcons | — | |
| 8 | 8 | 190 | Ira Gordon | T | Philadelphia Eagles | — | |
| 12 | 6 | 292 | Charles Collins | WR | St. Louis Cardinals | — | |
| 16 | 26 | 416 | Randy Ross | LB | Kansas City Chiefs | — | |
| 1971 | 1 | 14 | 14 | Clarence Scott* | DB | Cleveland Browns | Pro Bowl (1973) |
| 3 | 4 | 56 | Lynn Dickey | QB | Houston Oilers | Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame | |
| 3 | 13 | 65 | Mike Montgomery | RB | San Diego Chargers | — | |
| 5 | 10 | 114 | Dean Shaternick | T | San Francisco 49ers | — | |
| 7 | 22 | 178 | Ron Dickerson | DB | Miami Dolphins | — | |
| 8 | 17 | 199 | Ron Yankowski | RB | St. Louis Cardinals | — | |
| 13 | 19 | 331 | Russell Harrison | RB | Los Angeles Rams | — | |
| 1972 | 5 | 7 | 111 | Bill Butler | RB | New Orleans Saints | — |
| 7 | 3 | 159 | Joe Colquitt | DE | Pittsburgh Steelers | — | |
| 8 | 12 | 194 | Marion Lattimore | G | New York Jets | — | |
| 8 | 13 | 195 | Steve Beyrle | G | New England Patriots | — | |
| 11 | 2 | 262 | John Robertson | DB | New York Giants | — | |
| 1973 | 13 | 25 | 336 | Rick Fergerson | WR | Pittsburgh Steelers | — |
| 14 | 19 | 357 | Dennis Morrison | QB | San Francisco 49ers | — | |
| 1974 | 5 | 5 | 109 | Henry Childs* | TE | Atlanta Falcons | Pro Bowl (1979) New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame |
| 7 | 10 | 167 | Willie Cullars | DE | Philadelphia Eagles | — | |
| 10 | 14 | 249 | Don Calhoun | RB | Buffalo Bills | — | |
| 11 | 10 | 271 | Bill Brittain | C | Philadelphia Eagles | — | |
| 13 | 12 | 325 | Fred Rothwell | C | Detroit Lions | — | |
| 15 | 12 | 377 | John Wells | G | Detroit Lions | — | |
| 15 | 20 | 385 | Isaac Jackson | RB | Cincinnati Bengals | — | |
| 1975 | 5 | 12 | 116 | Steve Grogan | QB | New England Patriots | — |
| 16 | 10 | 401 | John Tuttle | WR | Cincinnati Bengals | — | |
| 16 | 15 | 406 | Les Chaves | DB | Detroit Lions | — | |
| 1978 | 3 | 2 | 58 | Gary Spani | LB | Kansas City Chiefs | Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame |
| 1979 | 5 | 6 | 116 | Dan Manucci | QB | Buffalo Bills | — |
| 12 | 3 | 306 | Charlie Green | WR | Baltimore Colts | — | |
| 1980 | 11 | 3 | 280 | Eddy Whitley | TE | Baltimore Colts | — |
| 1981 | 5 | 19 | 130 | Stevan Clark | DT | New England Patriots | — |
| 1982 | 3 | 11 | 66 | Eugene Goodlow | WR | New Orleans Saints | CFL All Star (1981) |
| 1986 | 10 | 28 | 277 | Barton Hundley | DB | Chicago Bears | — |
| 11 | 12 | 289 | Tim Stone | T | Cincinnati Bengals | — | |
| 1988 | 5 | 23 | 132 | Tony Jordan | RB | Phoenix Cardinals | — |
| 1990 | 6 | 10 | 147 | Maurice Henry | LB | Detroit Lions | — |
| 1992 | 5 | 6 | 118 | Rogerick Green | DB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | — |
| 7 | 11 | 179 | Russ Campbell | TE | Pittsburgh Steelers | — | |
| 10 | 2 | 254 | Elijah Alexander | LB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | — | |
| 1994 | 2 | 18 | 47 | Thomas Randolph | DB | New York Giants | — |
| 1995 | 2 | 26 | 58 | Barrett Brooks† | T | Philadelphia Eagles | Super Bowl Champion (XL) |
| 4 | 13 | 111 | Chad May | QB | Minnesota Vikings | — | |
| 1996 | 4 | 10 | 105 | Percell Gaskins | LB | St. Louis Rams | — |
| 1997 | 1 | 29 | 29 | Chris Canty | DB | New England Patriots | — |
| 2 | 17 | 47 | Kevin Lockett | WR | Kansas City Chiefs | — | |
| 1998 | 2 | 17 | 47 | Todd Weiner | T | Seattle Seahawks | — |
| 1999 | 3 | 29 | 80 | Martín Gramática‡ | K | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Pro Bowl (2000) Super Bowl Champion (XXXVII) |
| 6 | 29 | 198 | Jeff Kelly | LB | Atlanta Falcons | — | |
| 7 | 17 | 223 | Ryan Young | T | New York Jets | — | |
| 7 | 21 | 227 | Michael Bishop | QB | New England Patriots | — | |
| 7 | 30 | 238 | Justin Swift | TE | Denver Broncos | — | |
| 7 | 34 | 240 | Darnell McDonald | WR | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | — | |
| 2000 | 2 | 2 | 33 | Darren Howard | DE | New Orleans Saints | — |
| 3 | 5 | 67 | Mark Simoneau† | LB | Atlanta Falcons | Super Bowl Champion (XLIV) | |
| 3 | 21 | 83 | Damion McIntosh | T | San Diego Chargers | — | |
| 5 | 17 | 146 | Lamar Chapman | DB | Cleveland Browns | — | |
| 6 | 4 | 170 | Frank Murphy | RB | Chicago Bears | — | |
| 2001 | 2 | 2 | 33 | Quincy Morgan† | WR | Cleveland Browns | Super Bowl Champion (XL) |
| 3 | 28 | 90 | Shad Meier | TE | Tennessee Titans | — | |
| 4 | 11 | 107 | Monty Beisel | LB | Kansas City Chiefs | — | |
| 5 | 2 | 133 | Mario Fatafehi | DT | Arizona Cardinals | — | |
| 5 | 11 | 143 | Jarrod Cooper | DB | Carolina Panthers | — | |
| 5 | 12 | 145 | Jerametrius Butler | DB | St. Louis Rams | — | |
| 2002 | 2 | 25 | 57 | Jon McGraw | DB | New York Jets | — |
| 3 | 6 | 71 | Ben Leber | LB | San Diego Chargers | — | |
| 6 | 1 | 173 | DeMarcus Faggins | DB | Houston Texans | — | |
| 6 | 13 | 185 | Josh Scobey | RB | Arizona Cardinals | UFL Champion (2009) | |
| 7 | 43 | 254 | Aaron Lockett | WR | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | — | |
| 7 | 46 | 257 | Rock Cartwright | RB | Washington Redskins | — | |
| 2003 | 1 | 5 | 5 | Terence Newman* | DB | Dallas Cowboys | Pro Bowl (2007, 2009) |
| 2 | 19 | 51 | Terry Pierce | LB | Denver Broncos | — | |
| 5 | 20 | 155 | Melvin Williams | DE | New Orleans Saints | — | |
| 7 | 10 | 224 | Taco Wallace | WR | Seattle Seahawks | — | |
| 2004 | 6 | 2 | 167 | Nick Leckey† | C | Arizona Cardinals | Super Bowl Champion (XLIV) |
| 7 | 3 | 236 | Rashad Washington | DB | New York Jets | — | |
| 2005 | 4 | 29 | 130 | Darren Sproles‡ | RB | San Diego Chargers | Super Bowl Champion (LII) Pro Bowl (2014, 2015) |
| 2006 | 6 | 18 | 187 | Jeromey Clary | T | San Diego Chargers | — |
| 2007 | 3 | 10 | 74 | Yamon Figurs | WR | Baltimore Ravens | — |
| 6 | 12 | 186 | Thomas Clayton | RB | San Francisco 49ers | — | |
| 7 | 8 | 218 | Zac Diles | LB | Houston Texans | — | |
| 2008 | 2 | 5 | 36 | Jordy Nelson‡ | WR | Green Bay Packers | Super Bowl Champion (XLV) Pro Bowl (2015) |
| 7 | 39 | 242 | Rob Jackson | DE | Washington Redskins | — | |
| 2009 | 1 | 17 | 17 | Josh Freeman | QB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | — |
| 2010 | 5 | 10 | 141 | Josh Moore | DB | Chicago Bears | — |
| 2011 | 2 | 30 | 62 | Daniel Thomas | RB | Miami Dolphins | — |
| 2012 | 7 | 22 | 229 | Bryce Brown | RB | Philadelphia Eagles | — |
| 2013 | 2 | 24 | 56 | Arthur Brown | LB | Baltimore Ravens | — |
| 4 | 25 | 123 | Chris Harper | WR | Seattle Seahawks | — | |
| 6 | 35 | 204 | Braden Wilson | FB | Kansas City Chiefs | — | |
| 2014 | 6 | 26 | 202 | Tavon Rooks | OT | New Orleans Saints | — |
| 2015 | 3 | 5 | 69 | Tyler Lockett* | WR | Seattle Seahawks | Pro Bowl (2016) NFL All-Pro (2015) |
| 6 | 20 | 196 | Randall Evans | DB | Philadelphia Eagles | — | |
| 2016 | 2 | 25 | 56 | Cody Whitehair* | OL | Chicago Bears | Pro Bowl (2019) |
| 2017 | 3 | 9 | 73 | Jordan Willis | DE | Cincinnati Bengals | — |
| 7 | 14 | 232 | Elijah Lee | LB | Minnesota Vikings | — | |
| 2018 | 5 | 5 | 142 | D. J. Reed | DB | San Francisco 49ers | — |
| 2019 | 2 | 9 | 41 | Dalton Risner | OT | Denver Broncos | — |
| 6 | 32 | 205 | Duke Shelley | DB | Chicago Bears | — | |
Notable undrafted players
A selection of notable KSU football players who entered the NFL outside the draft includes:
- Bert Pearson entered the NFL in 1929, before the draft began. In an eight-year career with the Chicago Bears he was part of two NFL championship teams.
- Doug Russell entered the NFL in 1934, before the draft began. He led the league in rushing in the 1935 NFL season, playing for the Chicago Cardinals.
- Paul Coffman entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 1978. He earned three Pro Bowl appearances during his career and is in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
- Damian Johnson entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 1986 and played for the New York Giants' Super Bowl XXI-winning team.
- Kendyl Jacox entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 1998. He had a nine-year NFL career, starting 93 games on the offensive line.
- Ryan Lilja entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He had an eight-year NFL career, starting in 104 games on the offensive line and playing for the Indianapolis Colts Super Bowl XLI winning team.
Nine KSU players were selected by other leagues directly challenging the NFL: two were drafted in the 1948 All-America Football Conference draft (Rollin Prather and Mike Zeleznek),[2][4] two were selected in the 1983 USFL Draft (Amos Donaldson and Will Cokeley), three were selected in the 1984 USFL Draft (Reggie Singletary, L. E. Madison and Eric Mack), and two more in the 1985 USFL Draft (Eric Bailey and Kyle Clawson). Many of these players also played in the NFL.
References
- "Kansas St. Drafted Players". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- KSU Football Media Guide (pdf), Kansas State University, 2013, p. 178, retrieved October 28, 2013
- "NFL.com Draft Tracker". NFL.com. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- "1948 AAFC Draft". profootballarchives.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
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