NFL Rankings: Top 11 Undersized Players of All Time

Size isn't always everything. But in the NFL it means something.

Bigger, stronger, faster is the mantra all teams live by in their efforts to become the dominant team in the NFL to win the Super Bowl.

And then there is this group.

The players that never quit. The ones that were told they were small or too thin. The ones who were told they would not make it in college or on the professional level. Well, maybe not those words, but when you are 5'9" or shorter (I know, I am 5'7"), it becomes harder for you to be taken seriously.

Unless you have major football skills.

Regardless of height or weight or limitations, these players came to play or come to play each week and in their own way, setting the bar that much higher for the players taller than they are.

They may be smaller than most players to strap on a helmet, but these players have more heart than most players in the game today.

11. Steve Tasker

One of the best special teams players ever.

Former ninth-round draft pick of the Houston Oilers who caught on with the Buffalo Bills and used the special teams route in the NFL to make his mark.

While some players despised playing on kick return teams, Tasker, at 5'9", welcomed it.

10. Lionel James

"Little Train" was a spark plug out of Auburn who was only 5'6" and weighed 171 pounds.

He took a beating and still outran the defense.

He came out of Auburn and was in the same backfield with some guy named Bo Jackson. James was explosive and elusive and when San Diego made him a fifth-round pick in the 1984 draft, they had something special.

In 1985, James set the NFL record for all-purpose yards in a season with 2,535 yards. He also set the record for receiving yards by a running back with 1,027 yards and led the conference in receptions.

9. Steve Smith

He keeps doing it and doing it well.

Smith, at 5'9", is the leading receiver for the Carolina Panthers. He is having a great season so far as the go-to receiver for rookie quarterback Cam Newton.

He was a third-round pick in 2001 out of Utah.

Smith combines great speed and a fearless nature to make the impossible seem possible and judging from his altercation this weekend against the Saints, he does not allow his height to be an issue when playing against bigger opponents.

8. Gary Clark

He was one of the "Smurfs" on the Redskins. Before that, Clark was tearing up the USFL.

After his time with the Jacksonville Bulls in the USFL, Clark, a second-round pick in the 1984 supplemental draft, started what turned out to be a pretty good career in the NFL where he collected 699 receptions for over 10,000 yards.

He played on winning teams in Super Bowl XXII and XXVI with the Redskins as well.

At 5'9", he was hard to cover because of his size and speed.

7. Joe Morris

At 5'7" and barely 190 pounds, there was very little that stood in the way of Joe Morris.

A standout at Syracuse, he took his game to the NFL and the New York Giants and thrived.

He was a second-round pick in 1982 and from the get-go, he was a spark in the Giants offense.

Morris was a key member of the '87 Giants Super Bowl Championship team, rushing his way to a 1,000-yard season. He went on to add two more 1,000-plus-yard rushing seasons and became the team's all-time leading rusher.

6. Maurice Jones-Drew

He was angry that 32 teams overlooked in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft. That is why this 5'7" bowling ball wears No. 32.

He is short and has a low impact zone, and the biggest calves you will ever see. His burst of speed allows him to cut through the hole at the line of scrimmage faster than most backs in the game.

He is only 26 years old and figures to be the all-time leader in yards in Jaguars history before his playing days are through.

5. Warrick Dunn

A personal favorite of mine.

The FSU graduate played the game the way it should be played.

Dunn doesn't talk much and didn't when he was in the NFL with the Buccaneers and the Falcons.

His low center of gravity made him difficult to take down. He was also a great receiver out of the backfield.

While many thought he was too small at 5'9" and 187 pounds to take the NFL pounding, Dunn proved them all wrong.

4. Darrell Green

He played at little Texas A&M-Kingsville. But it did not matter, because teams knew how great he was in college.

He was taken 28th overall in the famed 1983 draft, one spot behind a guy named Dan Marino.

He played in 20 seasons in the NFL and he is widely considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play football.

To show how great his talents were as a member of the Redskins, Green was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2008.

3. Sam Mills

You may not find another linebacker to play in the NFL with as much heart as the late Sam Mills had.

Mills started in the USFL with the Philadelphia Star and moved to the NFL where he played with the New Orleans Saints and later the Carolina Panthers.

Mills earned four Pro Bowl appearances with the Saints in 1987, 1988, 1991 and 1992. His time with the Panthers was part of helping to establish the expansion team's foundation.

Mills became the only player to start every game during the Panthers' first three seasons. In August of 2003, Mills was diagnosed with intestinal cancer. Though he was told he had only a few months to live, he underwent chemotherapy and radiation and continued to coach on the Panthers staff.

He passed away in 2005.

2. Emmitt Smith

The NFL's leading rusher did it all.

Three Super Bowl rings would have been enough for the first-rounder out of Florida, but this 5'9" running back also topped Walter Payton as the all-time leader in rushing yards.

Smith is the only running back to ever win a Super Bowl Championship, the NFL Most Valuable Player award, the NFL rushing crown and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award all in the same season (1993).

1. Barry Sanders

While Emmitt Smith may be the NFL's all time leading rusher, Barry Sanders may have been the best back to ever play the game.

The difference is Sanders played on Lions teams that were not as stout as Smith's Cowboys teams.

At 5'8" and 203 pounds, Sanders could stop on a dime and start up again in mid-stride better than any back ever seen.

The Detroit Lions selected Sanders with the third overall pick in the 1989 NFL draft.

In 1994, Sanders rushed for 1,883 yards, on a 5.7 yards-per-carry average. He was named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year.