Highest drafted punters in NFL history: Why Iowa's Tory Taylor won't come close to record in 2024 NFL Draft

Nick Brinkerhoff

Highest drafted punters in NFL history: Why Iowa's Tory Taylor won't come close to record in 2024 NFL Draft image

Punters are a lot like insurance.

It's good to have, but you hope you never need it. Sure, they hold for field goals and can get a team out of a jam after a failed third-down conversion, but coaches are a lot happier seeing them on the sidelines.

Thanks to that reality, punters aren't going to be flying up draft boards anytime soon.

Every once in a while, however, a special one comes along, and some team just can't resist. While special teams can make or break a game, most teams aren't willing to invest in a non-premium position when they only have a couple of throws at the dart board.

That trend wasn't about to change in the 2024 NFL Draft. No punter was taken in the top 10, meaning the record will have to wait for another year.

Tory Taylor did make a great case to be taken earlier than his soon-to-be-colleagues and was. The former Iowa Hawkeye heard his name called when the Bears made their selection at No. 122. 

It marked only the fifth time a punter snuck into Round 4 since 2010. The most recent case came in 2022, a year that actually saw Jordan Stout and Jake Camarda both go off the board early on Day 3.

Here's a look at what it would take a punter to make history at the NFL Draft.

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Highest drafted punters in NFL history

While it comes as no surprise that punters aren't typically coveted players in the draft, it might be a surprise that two of them have been drafted in the first round. 

Here's a look at the highest-drafted punters since 1970:

Year Punter Team Round Overall
1979 Russell Erxleben* Saints 1 11
1973 Ray Guy Raiders 1 23
1982 Rohn Stark Colts 2 34
1978 Johnny Evans Browns 2 39
1977 Tom Skladany Lions 2 46
1995 Todd Sauerbrun Bears 2 56
2012 Bryan Anger Jaguars 3 70
1988 Greg Montgomery Oilers 3 72
1978 Craig Colquitt Steelers 3 76
1991 Chris Gardocki Bears 3 78
1972 Marv Bateman Cowboys 3 78

*Russell Erxleben came out of college as a kicker and punter

While breaking that record is out of the question, Taylor wasn't able to become the highest-drafted punter since 2000. Only three punters have heard their names called by the end of the third round in that span, with Bryan Anger being taken the earliest at No. 70.

Dustin Colquitt (No. 99) and B.J. Sander (No. 87) are the other two.

Regardless, Taylor turned in an impressive final college season, breaking NCAA's single-season yardage record with 4,479 yards on 93 punts in 2023. Taylor also broke the NCAA's single-season and career punt yardage averages with 48.2 in 2023 and 46.3 for his career.

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The Australian has racked up plenty of awards, as well, winning the 2023 Ray Guy Award and being named a unanimous All-American, among other honors. Considering he played for a Hawkeye team that was allergic to putting points on the board, Taylor only received more recognition.

With plenty of anemic offenses in the NFL, one team could've found themselves very lucky to secure the services of the former Iowa punter. While the Bears hope their offense puts some more points on the board in 2024, it can't hurt to have someone like Taylor that could flip the field with ease.

He will be 27 when the 2024 NFL season kicks off, however, which likely hurt an already fragile draft stock. 

Teams opted to punt on punters until Day 3, but that didn't stop Taylor from being the first one off the board.

Nick Brinkerhoff

Nick Brinkerhoff Photo

Nick Brinkerhoff is a content producer at The Sporting News covering the NFL, NBA and other sports. A proud New Jerseyan, Nick is also a graduate of Rutgers University. He is always in the mood for a good joke, the day’s best bets, or a debate about the mediocrity of the New York sports scene.