Average Height and Weight of NFL Wide Receivers in 2023
I’ve been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. And, one of the things that I would always do with players is show them the average heights and weights of players at their position in the NFL.
This would normally serve as motivation for them to gain weight to be more in line with players at their position at the next level. (It would also sometimes be a reality check for, say, receivers who thought 170 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 2023 season (just after final cuts at the end of preseason), almost 1700 players total, and broke them down by position.
For this guide, I took an average of the heights and weights of the 187 active wide receivers across the league.
In addition, just for fun, I listed the tallest, shortest, heaviest and lightest wide receivers as well. Go ahead and impress someone today with your newfound random football knowledge.
Average Height of an NFL Wide Receiver
The average height of an NFL Wide Receiver is 72.58 inches (or just over 6’0 1/2″).
Average Weight of an NFL Wide Receiver
The average weight of an NFL Wide Receiver is 199.35 pounds.
Who Are The Tallest Wide Receivers in the NFL?
There are almost two dozen players 6’4″ or taller.
The 4 tallest receivers in the league, however, measure up at 6’5″.
| Name | Height | Weight | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Evans | 6’5″ | 231 | Buccaneers |
| Allen Lazard | 6’5″ | 227 | Jets |
| Equanimeous St. Brown | 6’5″ | 214 | Bears |
| A.T. Perry | 6’5″ | 205 | Saints |
Who is the Shortest Wide Receiver in the NFL?
There are a dozen guys 5’8″ or shorter, but only 4 of those receivers are 5’7″ or under.
| Name | Height | Weight | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deonte Harty | 5’6″ | 170 | Bills |
| KaVontae Turpin | 5’7″ | 155 | Cowboys |
| Greg Dortch | 5’7″ | 175 | Cardinals |
| Rondale Moore | 5’7″ | 180 | Cardinals |
Fun Fact: If you include Marquise Brown (5’9″), the Cardinals have 3 receivers 5’9″ or shorter. Only one other team (Raiders) has even 2.
Who are the Heaviest Wide Receivers in the NFL?
There are some absolute monsters playing receiver in the league. Some of these guys are about as big as some Tight Ends.
The 6 biggest players all weigh in at over 225 pounds.
| Name | Height | Weight | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Claypool | 6’4″ | 238 | Bears |
| DK Metcalf | 6’4″ | 235 | Seahawks |
| Mike Evans | 6’5″ | 231 | Buccaneers |
| Justin Shorter | 6’4″ | 229 | Bills |
| Allen Lazard | 6’5″ | 227 | Jets |
| AJ Brown | 6’1″ | 226 | Eagles |
Who are the Lightest Wide Receivers in the NFL?
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum (like 60 pounds in the other direction) are the 6 lightest receivers in the NFL.
These guys all weigh 165 pounds or less.
| Name | Height | Weight | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| KaVontae Turpin | 5’7″ | 155 | Cowboys |
| Deven Thompkins | 5’8″ | 155 | Buccaneers |
| Calvin Austin III | 5’9″ | 162 | Steelers |
| Derius Davis | 5’8″ | 165 | Chargers |
| Tutu Atwell | 5’9″ | 165 | Rams |
| Tank Dell | 5’10” | 165 | Texans |
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 175 active Wide Receivers:
Average Size of NFL Wide Receivers by Year
| Year | Height (inches) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 72.53 | 199.35 |
| 2023 | 72.58 | 199.55 |
Tallest
Here were the six tallest wide receivers in the NFL in 2022, all listed at 6’5″ tall.
- Equanimeous St. Brown – Bears
- Allen Lazard – Packers
- Christian Watson – Packers
- Mike Evans – Bucs
- Cam Sims – Commanders
- Mike Strachan – Colts
Shortest
There were 11 receivers listed at 5’8″, but only one was listed at 5’7″.
The honor for the shortest receiver in the league this year went to Greg Dortch of the Arizona Cardinals.
Heaviest
The five heaviest receivers in the NFL were all listed at over 225 pounds:
- Chase Claypool – 238 pounds – Bears
- DK Metcalf – 235 pounds – Seahawks
- Mike Evans – 231 pounds – Bucs
- Allen Lazard – 227 pounds – Packers
- A.J. Brown – 226 pounds – Eagles
Lightest
The six lightest receivers were all listed at 170 pounds or lighter.
- KaVontae Turpin – 153 pounds – Cowboys
- Deven Thompkins – 155 pounds – Bucs
- Tutu Atwell – 165 pounds – Rams
- Marquise Brown – 170 pounds – Cardinals
- Montrell Washington – 170 pounds – Broncos
- DeVonta Smith – 170 pounds – Eagles
Final Thoughts
NFL Wide Receivers, as a position, have one of the widest ranges of body types you’ll find in the league. From 6’5″ and 231 pounds all the way to 5’7″ and 155 pounds.
It really just proves that if you have the talent and the skill set, you can play receiver at the highest level at almost any size.
On average, wide receivers are one of the smallest position groups on the field which probably isn’t a surprise to most football fans.
They are, however, slightly bigger (on average) than the cornerbacks assigned to cover them (about 3/4″ in height and about 5 pounds).
If you found this info interesting, you might also enjoy the fastest wide receivers in NFL combine history.
