The Nicholls Colonels football team, representing Nicholls State University, has had 16 American football players drafted into the National Football League (NFL). The highest that a Colonel has ever been drafted is the 3rd round/57th overall, which happened in 1987 with the selection of wide receiver Mark Carrier by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The most Colonels selected in a single NFL Draft are two. In the 1987 NFL draft, Carrier was selected by the Buccaneers and quarterback Doug Hudson by the Kansas City Chiefs. [1]
The Washington Redskins have drafted the most Colonels with a total of three. The Chiefs, Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers are next, drafting two players each. [2]
| B | Back | K | Kicker | NT | Nose tackle |
| C | Center | LB | Linebacker | FB | Fullback |
| 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 |
| * | Inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame | ||||
| Year | Round | Pick | Overall | Player | Team | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 3 | 14 | 74 | Gary Barbaro | Kansas City Chiefs | DB | — |
| 1977 | 7 | 15 | 182 | Gerard Butler | Chicago Bears | WR | — |
| 1982 | 4 | 4 | 87 | Dwight Walker | Cleveland Browns | WR | — |
| 1984 | 3 | 2 | 58 | Johnny Meads | Houston Oilers | LB | — |
| 1985 | 4 | 13 | 97 | Anthony Tuggle | Cincinnati Bengals | DB | — |
| 7 | 17 | 187 | Lionel Vital | Washington Redskins | RB | — | |
| 1986 | 5 | 9 | 119 | Oscar Smith | Detroit Lions | RB | — |
| 1987 | 3 | 1 | 57 | Mark Carrier | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | WR | — |
| 6 | 18 | 186 | Doug Hudson | Kansas City Chiefs | QB | — | |
| 1989 | 5 | 5 | 117 | Jamie Lawson | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | FB | — |
| 1990 | 10 | 16 | 264 | Dee Thomas | Houston Oilers | DB | — |
| 1995 | 3 | 4 | 68 | Darryl Pounds | Washington Redskins | DB | — |
| 2004 | 5 | 18 | 110 | Chris Thompson | Jacksonville Jaguars | DB | — |
| 2007 | 6 | 3 | 177 | Jacob Bender | New York Jets | T | — |
| 2008 | 6 | 14 | 180 | Kareem Moore | Washington Redskins | DB | — |
| 2009 | 3 | 24 | 88 | Lardarius Webb | Baltimore Ravens | DB | — |
Note: No drafts held before 1920
| Debut year | Player name | Position | Debut NFL/AFL team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Rusty Rebowe | LB | New Orleans Saints | |
| 1984 | Jay Pennison | C | Washington Redskins | |
| 1985 | Sheldon Andrus | DT | New Orleans Saints | |
| 1989 | Terrence Cooks | LB | New England Patriots | |
| 2010 | Antonio Robinson | WR | Chicago Bears | |
| 2012 | Bobby Felder | CB | Minnesota Vikings | |
| 2022 | Dai'Jean Dixon | WR | New Orleans Saints |