Systems for protecting a circuit from an electrostatic discharge (ESD) voltage are provided. An input terminal receives an input signal. An ESD protection circuit receives the input signal from the input terminal. The ESD protection circuit includes one or more vertical nanowire field effect transistors (FETs). Each of the one or more vertical nanowire FETs includes a well of a first conductivity type. Each of the one or more vertical nanowire FETs also includes a nanowire having i) a source region at a first end of the nanowire, and ii) a drain region at a second end of the nanowire that is opposite the first end. The source region further includes a portion formed in the well, where the source region and the drain region are of a second conductivity type. A gate region surrounds a portion of the nanowire and is separated from the drain region by a distance.