Average Height and Weight of an NFL Linebacker in 2023
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.)
So, this is essentially the same research I would share with players, but now I’m sharing it with you. I took 53-man active rosters for the 2022 season (just before the final week of the season – Jan 2023), almost 1700 players total and broke them down by position.
For this guide, I took an average of the heights and weights of the 235 active linebackers (both inside and outside linebackers) across the league. In addition, just for fun, I listed the tallest, shortest, heaviest and lightest linebackers as well. Go ahead and impress someone today with your newfound random football knowledge.
Average Height of an NFL Linebacker
The average height of an NFL Linebacker is 74.22 inches (a little over 6’2″ tall).
Average Weight of an NFL Linebacker
The average weight of an NFL Safety is 240.70 pounds.
Who Are The Tallest Linebackers in the NFL?
There are over 20 guys who are listed at 6’5″, but two Tampa Bay Bucs linebackers stand alone at 6’7″ as the tallest in the league.
- Carl Nassib – 6’7″ – Bucs
- Anthony Nelson – 6’7″ – Bucs
Who are the Shortest Linebackers in the NFL?
Out of 218 players at the position, only 8 are listed at under 6’0″ tall.
- 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
Who are the Heaviest Linebackers in the NFL?
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.
- Jihad Ward – 287 pounds – Giants
- Joey Bosa – 280 pounds – Chargers
- Carl Nassib – 275 pounds – Bucs
- Travon Walker – 275 pounds – Jaguars
- Jason Pierre-Paul – 275 pounds – Ravens
- Bradley Chubb – 275 pounds – Dolphins
- Keir Thomas – 275 pound – Rams
Who are the Lightest Linebackers in the NFL?
Here are the five lightest LBs in the league, all weighing in at under 220 pounds.
- De’Jon Harris – 213 pounds – Commanders
- Zeke Turner – 214 pounds – Cardinals
- Hamsah Nasirideen – 215 pounds – Jets
- Nicholas Morrow – 216 pounds – Bears
- Jamien Sherwood – 216 pounds – 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 Jaguars have 4 linebackers over 6’5″, the Bucs have a third player over 6’5″ (in addition to two guys at 6’7″) and the Giants have 3 players at 6’5″.
Out of the 8 players listed at under 6’0″ tall, 4 of them were rookies this year. I don’t know what you’re supposed to get from that information – it just stood out as interesting.
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:
