Paul T. Ernster (born January 26, 1982) is a former American football punter. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football in Northern Arizona.

Ernster has also been a member of the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ernster was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Ironwood High School in Glendale, Arizona, where he was a two-year letterman in both football and baseball. In football, he was an All-State kicker, he won All-Region honors as a linebacker, kicker, and punter, and was a two-time special teams Most Valuable Player award winner, and was the Defensive MVP as a senior.

Ernster attended Northern Arizona University, and was a kicker, until punting his senior year. As a senior punter, he led the NCAA Division I-AA level, and the nation in average yards per punt, averaging 47.8 yards per punt. During his career at Northern Arizona University, he was a three-time All-Big Sky Conference All-Academics selection, a consensus All-American punter pick as a senior, and he finished his college career with 213 points, which ranks third in school history. As a kicker, he made 39 out of 65 field goal attempts, and 96 out of 100 PATs attempted.