The same old schtick about player heights will come up right before the NFL draft. It’s not even just height. It’s hand size, weight, and every other cockamamie measurable they can come up with.
When it comes to NFL players, height is the one the talking heads focus on most. It makes sense in theory; for example, a taller wide receiver will have a physical advantage over a shorter defender. That much is logical.
Unfortunately, that’s about where that analysis ends.
The NFL is exceptionally good at determining what actually works. Effectiveness is the only measurement that really counts – so if a 6′6″ guy could be effective in the backfield, you’d see it happen.
The reason that NFL players’ average height is in the 5′10″ to 6′4″ range is simply that it’s what works best.
In this article, we’ll go over the average height for NFL players by position, explain why they’re that tall and see if height really is what matters the most.
Average Height of NFL Players
Running Backs
- Average height: 5’11”
NFL running back height and weight have been about the same since the 90s. According to pro-football-reference, an NFL running back’s average height and weight since 1990 is 5′11″ 216 lbs.
This is just the perfect physical measure of a running back, but one glance at the NFL’s all-time rushing list will show that running backs of all shapes and sizes can dominate in the league if they are skilled enough.
The key guidelines coach look at when evaluating running backs are their explosiveness, which leads to big plays that make an offense unpredictable to scout. It is an invaluable advantage to have against an NFL defense.
Why are there so few tall running backs?
We need to begin by defining tall in this context. The average American male is just over 5′9″ tall (CDC report, look page 16).
Taller than average would be any running back taller than 5′9″. The lower quartile (bottom 25%) is under 67.2″, or 5′7–1/4″, while the top quartile (top 25%) is at 71.2″, or 5′11–1/4″ tall.
Given that as a baseline, let’s look at the NFL running backs that exceeded the 1,000-yard rushing mark last season – that’s the ‘gold standard for successful running backs.
Last year, there were twelve of these athletes.
The average height of these 12 RBs is 5′11–1/8″, which (looking back at the percentiles in the CDC chart) puts the average successful NFL running back at the 75th percentile of the population. Or, to put it simply, tall.
In fact, only the last four on this list are outside the top quartile in height, and only one is shorter than the average American male.
Even if we only look at the average height of all NFL RBs, the difference isn’t particularly noteworthy: 5′10–1/2″ (source).
Quarterbacks
- Average height: 6’3”
The prototype size for NFL quarterbacks is 6’4″, 225 lbs. That’s not to say that is what every QB is, but rather what everyone wants.
Quarterbacks have to see over the offensive line, so height assists since linemen are only becoming bigger these days – with some being as tall as 6’7″.
Smaller QBs are more mobile and better outside the “pocket.” However, coaches are creatures of habit, so they can be slow to adapt to different styles, and a smaller QB may force a change to the offensive system that a coach does not want to make.
Secondly, smaller QBs tend to do better in “West Coast” offensives or similar systems where the QB releases the ball much sooner, providing greater pass efficiency but shorter throws.
Bigger QBs may also lack enough athleticism or mobility, so 6’4″ has been a benchmark.
At the end of the day, size is only one of the measures that scouts look at. A prototype is just that – not an absolute rule.
The smaller QBs that have done well in the NFL have usually had adaptable coaches and/or teams built around them that have helped them succeed. But, if you were starting a team, you would begin by looking at size as one of the desirable factors.
Wide Receivers
- Average height: 6’0”
Height is required for the position of wide receiver. To catch high-throw passes, tall players can move significantly higher than lower defensive defenders.
Since too-tall players frequently lack agility and general strength, this advantage is not perfect.
The end zone is a crucial location where height starts to matter. In a small area, a taller wide receiver can simply jump higher than a defender.
That explains why so many tight ends now play basketball. It’s comparable to going up for a crucial rebound late in the game. I cannot deny that height is a consideration in this situation. It makes perfect sense.
Defensive and Offensive Linemans
- Average height: 6’4”
Although the preference still exists for defensive and offensive linemen to be 6’3″ or taller and have long limbs, the general line of reasoning has become outmoded.
NFL offenses are still depending more on the passing game. No longer is the game played from tackle to tackle.
As a result, defenders who were (or are still) regarded as being undersized are now given more opportunities and permitted to demonstrate their abilities.
There’s no modern precedent I’m aware of for a 5′10 player to play OL or DL in the NFL. I can think of a couple of defensive linemen under 6′0 (barely, 5′11 and change) (Elvis Dumerville being a great DE for many years, and Chartric “Chuck” Darby being a good rotation player at DT), but those players are exceptionally rare.
It is hard for a short player to put on enough muscle mass to hold their ground vs. larger blockers while retaining enough athletic ability to compensate for their size disadvantage.
Most guys either end up too small, or become too slow to play. Arm length is extremely important for line play, and it correlates with height, so those who are successful tend to have long arms for their height.
When playing on the defensive line, it is not so much height but more so weight, strength, and quickness, although the height is definitely a factor.
By the way, the average D-Lineman in a D1-A school is about 6 “3 (6 “2 5/7 exactly), weighing around 281 pounds. The smallest D lineman in a D1-A school is 5 “10 170.
Defensive Backs
- Average height: 6’0”
As a result of their greater agility, shorter defensive backs are employed in contrast because the position requires the ability to change direction quickly.
These are the remaining positions, including the average height:
- Tight End – 6’3″
- Full Back – 6’0”
- Lineback – 6’2”
- Defensive Tackle – 6’3”
- Kicker – 6’0”
- Punter – 6’2”
- Long Snapper – 6’2”
Height Isn’t the Only Thing that Matters for NFL players (Running Back Example)
Here we’ll talk a bit about physics. For example, having a low center of gravity enables a running back to make cuts more easily, making him more elusive and harder to tackle. Being shorter than the athletes on the offensive line also helps mask the running back to some extent – you can’t hit what you can’t see.
But there’s also the question of mass: running backs typically have a bigger build to absorb better the punishment of running into several 300+ pound angry men trying to tackle them 20–25 times a game.
There are always exceptions: a ‘scatback’ is short and light, but they are not typically every-down backs and gain much of their yardage in the passing game.
A so-called ‘big back’ (a prototypical 6′1″, 220#) has enough bulk at his height to be an every-down back. But if an athlete were 3″ taller at the same weight — 6′4″, 220# — they would be too light to play RB in the NFL effectively.
This is why you see WRs at that height/weight combination instead.
Taller Isn’t Necessarily Better (Wide Receiver Example)
The listed height and weight of Wide Receiver A are 6′ 2″ and 220 lbs. The dimensions of Wide Receiver B are 5′ 10″ and 186 lbs. Wide Receiver A appears to be the man you want on paper, right? You can infer that he will have an advantage because he is bigger and heavier.
People, Cordarrelle Patterson, is receiver A, and Antonio Brown is receiver B. Would you like to reconsider? Although Patterson hasn’t achieved much while Antonio is arguably the best wide receiver in the game, I realize that’s an extreme example, but it’s still a useful illustration.
There are various factors to look into. Odell Beckham Jr. is 5’11,” and Julio Jones is 6′ 2″. One could argue that one is superior to the other, but despite the two products’ three-inch height differences, the competition is actually quite close.
The truth is that height doesn’t really matter all that much when evaluating an NFL player’s skill level. I’m certain someone will disagree with me and bring up Mike Evans or A.J. Green, but I can go on and on about receivers shorter than the 6′ 2″ “benchmark.
All 5′ 9 “Steve Smith, a certain Hall of Famer, recently announced his retirement. Similar in height to Smith, T.Y. Hilton topped the league in receiving yards (1,448) last year.
Despite the 6′ 7″ Kris Durham being the league’s tallest wide receiver, no one in their right mind would refer to him as a Pro Bowl wideout. Even the fantasy football radar doesn’t even include him. Despite being over six feet tall, DeAndre Hopkins and Allen Robinson’s quarterbacks significantly hurt their stats.
So yeah, all of this is to say that a guy’s height might be a factor in deciding whether or not he will be a good player, but it is merely draft-day chit-chat.
At every position in the NFL, there are great players of every size and shape. Short quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Drew Brees are popular choices. Running backs Darren Sproles and Devonta Freeman are both rather diminutive.
Whatever shape they are in, athletes are athletes. Football is not one of those sports, although some do, like basketball (some even require shorter participants, like horse racing.)
