Coming Up Short: Why Height Is Overrated In The NFL

When you think of the prototypical quarterback what comes to mind? Does a 6-foot-5, 220 pound gun-slinger sound perfect?

What if I told you that a 6-foot, 209 pound quarterback was ruling the NFL right now?

If height mattered in the NFL, Drew Brees would be a kicker.

His barely 6-foot stature has never been a handicap in his career. At Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, Brees told coaches that he was 6-foot-2 in order to get the starting job on his team.

When the coaching staff wanted to take his height and weight, Brees accepted the request, obviously.

Coaches told him that he was "6-foot and a quarter inch."

Drew told them to re-measure him, thinking they had been off in his measurement.

Once again, the coaches reiterated to Brees that he was 6-foot and a quarter inch.

Brees, in disgust, shook his head and proceeded to walk out the door.

Yes, he has had skeptics in his past, but those who know of Brees' success now have only words of encouragement.

He has won a Super Bowl, been named to four pro bowls (2004, 2006, 2008, 2009), and was recently named the cover-boy to the Madden '11 video game.

Many wonder why Colt McCoy wasn't a first-round-pick, but don't really comprehend that it's probably because of his 6-foot frame.

Don't get me wrong, I am in no way comparing to Colt McCoy to Drew Brees at this point in time. But if height really mattered in the NFL, Brees and McCoy wouldn't have a chance on any roster.

What Brees lacks in size, he makes up for in accuracy.

Call it far-fetched, but Brees could easily be the most accurate in the last decade of the NFL.

Colt McCoy is going to have one heck-of-a journey coming for him, but if he can ignore the critics and just do what he does best, he will have nothing but success for the rest of his just-born career.

Darren Sproles is another player in the league today that has been judged for his small-size.

At 5-foot-6, Sproles is easily the shortest running back in the league. But then again, he is also one of the most dynamic and talented.

Darren has always been a fearless competitor. He doesn't think of the much bigger defenders as threats.

There is always a chance that they could injure him at any time, but if you play that way in the NFL, you will have limited success.

If Sproles were 5 or 6 inches taller, he could easily be viewed as one of the best running backs in the game today.

He has all the tools to be a top-10 running back right now. Darren has great receiving skills, is a tremendous open-field runner, and can return kicks as well as anybody in the league.

The discrepancy between Sproles and the rest of the runners in the league is very apparent. Darren will not stick out in a large crowd, but he would be the recepient of all the attention when he hits the field.

Despite the fact that I am as tall as Sproles on a good day, I commend him for being incredibly tough even though he's shorter than some sixth graders--- No disrespect.

Elvis Dumervil has always been pre-conceived as being too small to play defensive end.

Did you know that Dumervil recorded a whopping 17 sacks last year?!

At 5-foot-11, 248 pounds, Dumervil is one of the best hybrid-linebackers in the game today.

If he were 6-foot-4, Elvis would have likely been a second or third round-pick instead of a fourth-rounder.

The Broncos organization took a chance of the man now known as "Doom" with the 126th pick in the 2006 draft.

Since then, Dumervil has showed a tremendous heart from someone that has been judged as too small to play on the line.

Typically Dumervil plays at outside linebacker, but when the Broncos need him to, he can play on the line. Up until last year, that is where he was listed on Denver's depth chart.

He could become a highly-coveted free-agent next season if the Broncos don't pay him the money he's worth over the course of the next 9 months.

One of the best cornerbacks in the league, when healthy, is Antoine Winfield. Despite being 5-foot-9 with his shoes on, Winfield is one of the best tackling cornerbacks in the league today.

Although he's short, Winfield has to go up against some of the tallest wide receivers in the game every week of the Vikings season.

Antoine is a fearless athlete that hits as hard as a linebacker. I've seen him on multiple occasions tackle somebody that is 8 inches taller and 100 pounds heavier.

Minnesota fans were on the fence with Winfield when they brough him over from the Bills after the '03-'04 season.

They felt as though he wasn't the answer to the Vikings' secondary problems because he was too small to cover the bigger receivers that Minnesota would have to go against.

Being short at cornerback is not uncommon by any means. A lot of the one's you see today are sometimes only 5-foot-10, sometimes shorter, but not all play with all their might on every single down.

Antoine Cromartie is 6-foot-2, allowing him to match up well against wide receivers that are his height, even shorter. With that said, Cromartie is one of the worst cover-corners that's out there.

No matter if you're 6-2 or 5-9 at cornerback, you have the ability to either make the plays or not.

DeSean Jackson was once placed at 6-foot-2 on the California Golden Bears' roster. But when the combine rolled around, Jackson was measured at 5-foot-9 1/2.

Due to his height, Jackson slipped to the middle of the second round where the Philadelphia Eagles decided to take one of the best pass-catching receivers available.

48 teams before the Eagles passed on Jackson. I can safely bet that about 15 of those teams are slapping themselves on the back of the head for letting Jackson slip through their fingers.

Even though he has to go up against taller defenders, DeSean can go up and catch the ball with ease.

He was named to the Pro-Bowl in 2009, not as a receiver, but as a kick-returner.

Speaking of which, did I mention that Jackson is one of the best kick-returners in the league?

His speed and cutting ability allows himself to blow by the secondary that looks to shut him down every game.

On a rare occasion, Jackson has an off-game. But when it's time to make the big plays, you can rest assured that number 10 will be targeted all day long for the Eagles.

Kudos goes to DeSean for making a lot of GM's regret their foolish choices in the draft 2 years ago.


My point in all of this is that height is often over-looked and overrated today. Skill and ability should be judged before how tall you are.

I'm not saying that a 6-foot-4, 260 pound linebacker isn't a sexy choice, but if he can't play as well as a 5-foot-11, 245 pound linebacker, why make that choice?

When it comes to quarterback's, very few that are shorter than 6-1 are successful. But sometimes you never get to find out because they're holding the clip-board on the sidelines while their talent goes to waste without a care in the world.

Moral of the story: Size doesn't always matter.