Written by Mykail Mereau
Over the last 40 years, there’s been numerous of NFL players from the Western New York that had been drafted. Some of these native Western New Yorkers have made a name of themselves in the league. Here’s a list of players from Western New York that has been drafted to the NFL.
Rob Gronkowski, tight end
Probably the most popular Western New York native and the greatest tight end of all-time in NFL history, Rob Gronkowski. He grew in Amherst and played three seasons at Will North. He’s dubbed the nickname “Gronk” because of his freakish physicality in the league. He’s won four Super Bowls in his career, three with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ron Jaworski, quarterback
Ron Jaworski was born in Lackawanna, he played sixteen seasons in the league for the Philadelphia Eagles. In the 1980 season, he guided the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance only to come up short to the Oakland Raiders, 27-10.
Daryl Johnston, fullback
Daryl Johnston was a key member of the Dallas Cowboys dynasty run in the 90s. He’s from Youngstown, New York and he was nicknamed “Moose” of him running over defenders like an actual moose on the field. Bills fans had a tough time rooting against their WNY native, as Johnston’s faced Buffalo twice in the Super Bowl and won both of those games.
Jim Dombrowski, center
Jim Dombrowski grew up in Williamsville, New York and he was drafted to the New Orleans Saints in 1986 with the sixth overall pick. He played 151 games for New Orleans and only made the playoffs four times in his career.
Shane Conlan, linebacker
Shane Conlan is from Fewsburg, New York. He was a key contributor to the Bills and made a lot of deep playoff runs for them, including going to four straight Super Bowls in the early 90s.
Corey Graham, safety
The Buffalo native Corey Graham was with several teams in his career, one of those teams were the Buffalo Bills. He ended up winning two Super Bowls in his career, one with the Baltimore Ravens and one with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Brett Kern, punter
Brett Kern was born in Grand Island, New York and spent 15 years in the league. He was one of the best punters in the league and was named to three Pro Bowls in his career.
Isaiah McDuffie, linebacker
Isaiah McDuffie grew up in the Buffalo area and played at Bennett High School. He was drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft to the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round.
Chandler Jones, defensive end
Another famous WNY native, Chandler Jones was born and raised in Rochester, New York. He was drafted by the New England Patriots and won one Super Bowl with them before getting trade to the Arizona Cardinals and making a name for himself in the desert.
Stevie Christie, kicker
The Canadian kicker from Hamilton, Canada, Stevie Christie played for the Buffalo Bills through 1992-2000. He is the team’s most all-time leading scorer with 1,011 points. He also made stints with the Chargers, Buccaneers, and Giants in his career.
Steven Means, linebacker
Steven Means is a Buffalo native who went to the University of Buffalo. He was drafted in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round. He’s also been on plenty of teams after his stint in Tampa Bay, such as the Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, and Houston Texans.
