Average Height and Weight of an NFL Linebacker in 2024
I’ve been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. One thing I always felt was effective was showing guys the heights and weights of players at their position in the NFL.
It helped give many players the extra motivation needed to gain weight when they were able to compare themselves to guys at the next level. (Sometimes it was even a stark reality check for, say, linebackers who thought 210 pounds was ‘about average’ to play in the NFL.)
This is the same research I would share with players, but now I’m sharing it with you. I took 53-man active rosters for the 2023 season (just after final cuts at the end of preseason), almost 1700 players total and broke them down by position.
I took an average of the heights and weights of the 233 active linebackers across the league. I also listed the tallest, shortest, heaviest and lightest linebackers as well. Go ahead and impress someone today with your new football knowledge.
Average Height of an NFL Linebacker
The average height of an NFL Linebacker is 74.26 inches (a little over 6’2 1/4″ tall).
Average Weight of an NFL Linebacker
The average weight of an NFL Safety is 240.91 pounds.
Who Are The Tallest Linebackers in the NFL?
There are almost 30 guys listed at 6’5″ or taller, but only 4 of those players are 6’6″ and up.
Here are the tallest linebackers in the NFL:
| Name | Height | Weight | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Nelson | 6’7″ | 271 | Buccaneers |
| Marcus Davenport | 6’6″ | 265 | Vikings |
| Tavius Robinson | 6’6″ | 258 | Ravens |
| Andre Carter II | 6’6″ | 256 | Vikings |
Who are the Shortest Linebackers in the NFL?
There are a dozen guys – Drake Thomas, David Long, Dee Winters, Grant Stuard, Quincy Williams, Nakobe Dean, Malcolm Rodriguez, Devin Bush, Mark Robinson, Nick Bolton and Denzel Perryman who measure in at 5’11”.
However, only one Linebacker in the NFL is listed at under 5’11”:
| Name | Height | Weight | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Pace Jr | 5’10” | 231 | Vikings |
Who are the Heaviest Linebackers in the NFL?
Keep in mind, that depending on the scheme, some Linebackers are almost closer to a Defensive End than a Linebacker.
Having said that, the 7 biggest guys listed as a Linebacker in the NFL are all over 270 pounds.
| Name | Height | Weight | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jihad Ward | 6’5″ | 287 | Giants |
| Joey Bosa | 6’5″ | 280 | Chargers |
| Rashan Gary | 6’5″ | 277 | Packers |
| Travon Walker | 6’5″ | 272 | Jaguars |
| Lukas Van Ness | 6’5″ | 272 | Packers |
| Frank Clark | 6’3″ | 272 | Broncos |
| Anthony Nelson | 6’7″ | 271 | Buccaneers |
Fun Fact: 6 of the 7 guys listed above (all but Walker) come from the Big Ten. (Take a look at the size of college football linebackers here)
Who are the Lightest Linebackers in the NFL?
70 pounds in the opposite direction are some of the lightest Linebackers in the league.
The 7 smallest guys all weigh in at 220 pounds or less.
| Name | Height | Weight | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zeke Turner | 6’2″ | 214 | Cardinals |
| Otis Reese | 6’3″ | 214 | Titans |
| Jamien Sherwood | 6’2″ | 216 | Jets |
| Khaleke Hudson | 6’0″ | 220 | Commanders |
| Luke Masterson | 6’1″ | 220 | Raiders |
| Caleb Johnson | 6’2″ | 220 | Jaguars |
| Jalen Graham | 6’3″ | 220 | 49ers |
2022 Data
This is the second season that I’ve posted this data and I thought it would be interesting to keep an ‘archive’, if you will, of past seasons to watch how the sizes of players evolve over the years.
So here are the numbers for the 2022 season including 235 active Linebackers:
Average Size of NFL Linebackers by Year
| Year | Height (inches) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 74.22 | 240.7 |
| 2023 | 74.26 | 240.91 |
Tallest
There were over 20 guys listed at 6’5″ in 2022, but two Tampa Bay Bucs linebackers stood alone at 6’7″ as the tallest in the league.
| Name | Height | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Carl Nassib | 6’7″ | Buccaneers |
| Anthony Nelson | 6’7″ | Buccaneers |
Shortest
Out of 218 players at the position, only 8 were listed at under 6’0″ tall.
| Name | Height | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Darien Butler | 5’10” | Raiders |
| Malcolm Rodriguez | 5’11” | Lions |
| Nakobe Dean | 5’11” | Eagles |
| Grant Stuard | 5’11” | Colts |
| Mark Robinson | 5’11” | Steelers |
| Quincy Williams | 5’11” | Jets |
| Devin Bush | 5’11” | Steelers |
| Nick Bolton | 5’11” | Chiefs |
Heaviest
I knew 250 to 260 pounds was not uncommon for NFL linebackers but I think I was even a little surprised to see 7 guys listed at 275 pounds and over.
| Name | Weight | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Jihad Ward | 287 | Giants |
| Joey Bosa | 280 | Chargers |
| Carl Nassib | 275 | Buccaneers |
| Travon Walker | 275 | Jaguars |
| Jason Pierre-Paul | 275 | Ravens |
| Bradley Chubb | 275 | Dolphins |
| Keir Thomas | 275 | Rams |
Lightest
Here were the five lightest LBs in the league, all weighing in at under 220 pounds.
| Name | Weight | Team |
|---|---|---|
| De’Jon Harris | 213 | Commanders |
| Zeke Turner | 214 | Cardinals |
| Hamsah Nasirideen | 215 | Jets |
| Nicholas Morrow | 216 | Bears |
| Jamien Sherwood | 216 | Jets |
Final Thoughts
So, what did I learn?
I’m always interested to find when some teams seem to value specific body types for specific positions. At no position did this appear more evident than at the linebacker position.
The Packers and Vikings have 4 players listed at 6’5″ or taller and the Giants have 3 players at 6’5″. That’s over a third of the guys at that size on 3 rosters.
Speaking of interesting, I’ve done this for most positions now and it seems like the Steelers come up quite a bit when looking at these outliers in size.
Out of any team, it feels like they are one of the least concerned about finding “prototype” players which says something for a team that has had their history of success.
If you enjoyed this breakdown of linebacker heights and weights, you might also enjoy checking out the all-time best linebacker 40 times at the NFL Combine.
Other Positions
I’ve done the same height and weight breakdown for other positions too including:
