Oldest players drafted in NFL history: Chris Weinke, Brandon Weeden among biggest draft outliers

A new wave of young talent enters the NFL each spring. But in some cases, that young talent isn't very young at all.

While most players drafted are between 21-23 years old, some have circumstances that keep them in college long enough that they get drafted at 24 or 25 years old. A few players in NFL history can claim they were drafted even older than that.

The Sporting News takes a look at the oldest players selected in the NFL Draft, from Chris Weinke to Brandon Weeden.

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Who are the oldest players ever drafted?

Here are the oldest drafted players on record, though data before 1986 is incomplete due to the significant number of rounds in early decades of the draft. 

Ove Johansson (29 years, 34 days)

The Houston Oilers selected 29-year-old Ove Johansson in the 12th round of the 1977 NFL Draft, making him the oldest-drafted player on record to this day.

Johansson, a kicker, only appeared in two NFL games, but he is believed to have kicked a 69-yard field goal while at Abilene Christian in 1976; the NFL record is 66 yards. Johansson was still drafted despite only playing one collegiate season and suffering a knee injury in his final game, but he was only 1-of-4 on field goal attempts in his brief NFL career with the Eagles. 

Johansson, who died in 2023, also made history as the first Swedish-born player in the NFL. 

Chris Weinke (28 years, 264 days)

The oldest player drafted under the current seven-round format, Weinke won the Heisman Trophy at age 28 in 2000 and went on to selected 106th overall by the Panthers in the 2001 NFL Draft.

Weinke's football career was delayed by baseball, as he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1990 and spent six seasons in the minor leagues before pursuing football after the 1996 season. He became Florida State's starter in 1998, won a national championship in 1999 and threw 33 touchdowns on his way to the Heisman in 2000.

Weinke made 20 NFL starts, all but one with the Panthers, but he struggled as a rookie with 19 interceptions and went 2-18 overall as a starter.  

Asked how much his age mattered after he arrived in the NFL, Weinke later said, "It did play a factor. I'm going into my first training camp as a 29-year-old. ... That kid who's 20 has an advantage and probably isn't a fourth-round pick." 

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Brandon Weeden (28 years, 195 days)

Like Weinke, Weeden put off football to pursue baseball. He was taken by the Yankees in the second round of the 2002 MLB Draft and played in the minor leagues as a pitcher until 2006, when he decided to return to football.

Weeden spent five years at Oklahoma State and didn't start until 2010, when he turned 27 midseason. Despite such a long break from football, Weeden performed well, tossing 34 touchdowns in 2010 and 37 touchdowns in 2011 along with a conference-best 72.4 completion percentage and 4,727 yards.

The Browns were impressed enough to select Weeden No. 22 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft despite his age. Like most Browns quarterbacks during that era, however, Weeden fell well short of expectations, tossing 17 interceptions as a rookie and making only 25 NFL starts over seven seasons. 

Jeris Pendleton (28 years, 171 days)

Overshadowed by Weeden in the same draft, Pendleton was selected No. 228 overall by the Jaguars out of Ashland University in 2012.

The defensive tackle originally planned to play at Michigan State, but he went through a rough phase in high school and didn't earn a diploma. When he found out he was going to be a father, Pendleton had to put school on hold altogether and work different jobs to make ends meet. 

Once his life stabilized, Pendleton played at the junior college level before transferring to Ashland and putting himself on NFL radars at the Division II level.

Pendleton appeared in five games between the Jaguars and Colts, recording three tackles.

Leon Burns (28 years, 135 days)

Burns, drafted at age 28 in 1971, has a fascinating story, as he was discovered while serving a four-year prison sentence for his involvement in a robbery. Noticed by a coach who brought his team to face a team of prison inmates, Burns started as a running back at Laney College after his release before transferring to Long Beach State and emerging as a legitimate NFL Draft prospect.

The Chargers selected Burns 13th overall in 1971, but he only totaled 292 rushing yards in two NFL seasons. Burns was tragically killed in a shooting in 1984.

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Mark Drabczak (27 years, 184 days)

Drabczak's backstory is not as well known, but he was 27 when the Saints made him their final pick in 1991. Selected No. 321 overall out of Minnesota, Drabczak never appeared in an NFL game. 

Andre King (27 years, 164 days)

King was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1993 and spent four years in the minor leagues before turning back to football and attending the University of Miami from 1997-2000.

He had a quiet role with the Hurricanes, totaling 834 yards and three touchdowns over four seasons, but it was enough for the Browns to select him No. 245 overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. King amassed 327 yards in four NFL seasons, including a career-high 149 as a rookie.

Why are some players drafted later in life?

While many of the oldest players in college today are benefiting from relaxed eligibility rules, largely from court decisions preventing the NCAA from enforcing stricter standards, the oldest players ever drafted had far more extreme circumstances.

Weinke, Weeden and King all pursued baseball before football but were talented enough to find a roster spot once they gave up baseball. Those were decisions that are seen less and less today, with young athletes focusing more on one particular sport rather than playing two or three, but it could have been the reality for Kyler Murray if he had pursued an MLB career after the Athletics drafted him ninth overall in 2018. 

Others, such as Pendleton and Burns, dealt with personal issues that prevented them from going to college on time. 

Today, BYU often has some of the oldest athletes in college sports because many complete multi-year Mormon missions before heading to college. Former BYU QB Taysom Hill went undrafted in 2017, but he entered the NFL just a few months shy of his 27th birthday because of his mission and injuries. 

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Which older draft picks had the best careers?

The success rate for the oldest draft picks is not high, though many were taken in a part of the draft that naturally comes with a low success rate. Weeden and Burns, the two first-round picks drafted at 27 or older, both flamed out within a few years and never established themselves as long-term starters. 

Older draft picks can have success, though. Phil Simms and Bo Nix were both drafted at 24 years old and found a way to make a high impact at the NFL level. When a prospect is past his 25th birthday, however, there isn't much of a track record for sustained success.

How position groups are impacted by age 

Age is definitely a factor in the NFL, but each position group is impacted a little differently.

Quarterback

Quarterbacks tend to have the longest careers of non-specialists, with the NFL's best signal callers often playing deep into their 30s and occasionally into their 40s. The position does require taking hits, but with the right offensive line, a quarterback won't have to run as often as other players and can survive some lost athleticism.

It's likely no coincidence that two of the three oldest drafted players were quarterbacks. The Browns, for example, were perfectly fine in investing in a nearly 29-year-old Weeden because he might be able to play for a decade if he was the player they thought he would be. 

Running back

Running backs tend to have some of the shortest NFL careers of any position group. While a 30-year-old quarterback might be in the middle of his prime and have a decade left in the NFL if he plays his cards right, a 30-year-old running back could already be in the twilight of his career if he is still playing at all.

The position requires a high level of agility and forces players to absorb constant hits, with speed also a factor. That's why fans can't expect to see many older running backs drafted, at least compared to other positions.

Edge rusher

In a quarterback-driven league, teams love to get their hands on pass-rushers in the draft. Just don't expect too many of them to be on the older end.

Edge rushers need burst and explosiveness to thrive and consistently get to the quarterback. An older prospect might not have as many explosive years ahead of him, so it's not uncommon to see teams take younger pass-rushers brimming with potential over productive but older players from the college level.

Kicker

Kickers are rarely drafted before the fourth round, but NFL teams know the right kicker can stick around longer than just about any other position on the field. Kickers face limited contact during games and don't need to worry much about stamina, either. If the leg works, the leg works.

That's why it's not uncommon at all for kickers to play deep into their 30s and even into their 40s, and it's also why teams might not have any problems with drafting an older kicker if they believe he is capable of being effective in the NFL.