Jump to content
[[Template core/front/custom/_customHeader is throwing an error. This theme may be out of date. Run the support tool in the AdminCP to restore the default theme.]]

Comparing Height and Weight 1982 versus 2007


DMD
 Share

Recommended Posts

Since there has been a lot of talk about how much bigger players are now versus in the past, I did a quick comparison. Below are the heights and weights of players drafted in the first five rounds or so of the 1982 NFL draft versus the same for the incoming rookie class (using a generic ranking system for the top players).

 

Surprisingly, there wasn't nearly the difference that I thought I would find. Linemen are about 20 pounds heavier now - especially tight ends. But overall, not nearly the difference that I thought 25 years would show.

 

I was going to write an article about it but there just isn't enough there to warrant it.

 

 

Pos	1982	Wt	Ht		Pos	2007	Wt	HtC	Jim Romano	260	6' 3''		C	Ryan Kalil	291	6’3"C	Mike Baab	279	6' 4''		C	Samson Satele	294	6’2"C	Rich Umphrey	260	6' 3''		C	Dustin Fry	326	6’3"CB	Paul Lankford	184	6' 2'' 		CB	*Darrelle Revis	190	6’0"CB	Bruce McNorton	175	5' 11'		CB	Daymeion Hughes	192	5’10"DB	Rod Hill	186	6' 0''		DB	LaRon Landry	205	6’2"DB	Jim Burroughs	192	6' 1''		DB	*Reggie Nelson	195	6’0"DB	Vernon Dean	178	5' 11'		DB	Brandon Meriweather	192	5’11"DB	Bobby Watkins	184	5' 10'		DB	Josh Gattis	206	6’1"DE	Glen Collins	260	6' 6''		DE	Gaines Adams	260	6’5"DE	Booker Reese	260	6' 6''		DE	*Jamaal Anderson	274	6’6"DE	Keith Baldwin	265	6' 5''		DE	Adam Carriker	292	6’6"DE	Jeff Bryant	268	6' 5''		DE	*Charles Johnson	272	6’2"DE	Ken Sims	272	6' 5''		DE	*Jarvis Moss	252	6’6"DT	Malcolm Taylor	278	6' 6'' 		DT	*Alan Branch	330	6’6"G	Sean Farrell	260	6' 3''		G	Ben Grubbs	315	6’3"G	Roy Foster	275	6' 4''		G	Arron Sears	317	6’3"G	Terry Tausch	275	6' 5''		G	Justin Blalock	331	6’4"G	Mike Munchak	281	6' 3''		G	Manuel Ramirez	335	6’3"G	Ron Hallstrom	290	6' 6''		G	Josh Beekman	315	6’2"LB	Jeff Rohrer	225	6' 3''		LB	Paul Posluszny	237	6’1"LB	Calvin Daniels	240	6' 3''		LB	*Lawrence Timmons	232	6’3"LB	Andre Tippett	240	6' 3''		LB	Patrick Willis	240	6’1"LB	Bruce Scholtz	241	6' 6''		LB	*Brandon Siler	238	6’2"LB	Bob Crable	230	6' 3''		LB	Rufus Alexander	227	6’1"LB	Jack Squirek	230	6' 4''		LB	*Jon Beason	232	6’0"LB	Johnie Cooks	251	6' 4''		LB	Earl Everett	235	6’2"LB	Chip Banks	233	6' 4''		LB	Stewart Bradley	256	6’4"QB	Art Schlichter	210	6' 2'' 		QB	*JaMarcus Russell	252	6’5"QB	Jim McMahon	191	6' 1'' 		QB	Brady Quinn	228	6’4"QB	Oliver Luck	196	6'2"		QB	Trent Edwards	222	6’4"QB	Matt Kofler	192	6' 3'' 		QB	Troy Smith	222	6’0"QB	Mike Pagel	206	6' 3'' 		QB	Drew Stanton	226	6’3"RB	Darrin Nelson	188	5' 9'' 		RB	*Adrian Peterson	218	6’2"RB	Gerald Riggs	231	6' 1'' 		RB	*Marshawn Lynch	220	5’11"RB	Marcus Allen	205	6' 2'' 		RB	*Michael Bush	248	6’2"RB	Walter Abercrombie	210	6' 0'' 		RB	Kenny Irons	198	5’11"RB	Barry Redden	210	5' 10'' 		RB	Tony Hunt	239	6’2"RB	Butch Woolfolk	215	6' 1'' 		RB	*Antonio Pittman	195	5’11"RB	Gerald Willhite	200	5' 10'' 		RB	Lorenzo Booker	188	5’11"RB	Robert Weathers	220	6' 2'' 		RB	*Darius Walker	212	5’10"RB	Joe Morris	195	5' 7'' 		RB	*Dwayne Wright	222	6’0"T	Luis Sharpe	275	6' 4'' 		T	Joe Thomas	310	6’7"T	Bubba Paris	300	6' 6'' 		T	Levi Brown	323	6’6"T	Reggie McElroy	281	6' 6'' 		T	Tony Ugoh	301	6’6"T	Darryl Haley	270	6' 5'' 		T	Joe Staley	296	6’6"T	Tootie Robbins	303	6' 5'' 		T	Marshall Yanda	304	6’4"T	Wally Kersten	270	6' 5'' 		T	Doug Free	305	6’7"T	Phil Pozderac	230	6' 9'' 		T	James Marten	303	6’8"TE	Lawrence Sampleton	233	6' 5'' 		TE	*Zach Miller	260	6’5"TE	Tim Wrightman	237	6' 4'' 		TE	*Greg Olsen	252	6’5"TE	Jerry Bell	230	6' 5'' 		TE	Scott Chandler	268	6’7"TE	Pete Metzelaars	245	6' 7		TE	Matt Spaeth	262	6’7"TE	Vyto Kab	250	6' 5'' 		TE	Martrez Milner	256	6’4"WR	Anthony Hancock	200	6' 0'' 		WR	*Calvin Johnson	228	6’4"WR	Lindsay Scott	194	6' 1'' 		WR	Dwayne Bowe	222	6’2"WR	Perry Tuttle	178	6' 0'' 		WR	*Dwayne Jarrett	210	6’5"WR	Mike Quick	190	6' 2'' 		WR	*Ted Ginn Jr.	180	6’0"WR	Orlando McDaniel	180	6' 0'' 		WR	*Sidney Rice	205	6’4"WR	Mark Duper	187	5' 9'' 		WR	*Robert Meachem	210	6’3"WR	Cedric Jones	184	6' 1'' 		WR	Craig Davis	200	6’1"WR	Stacey Bailey	160	6' 0'' 		WR	*Anthony Gonzalez	195	6’0"WR	Eugene Goodlow	190	6' 2'' 		WR	Steve Smith	195	6’0"WR	Kenny Duckett	187	5' 11'' 		WR	Johnnie Lee Higgins	182	5’11"

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had heard a statistic, oh..about 1-2 years ago.......that the number of 300 lbs+ linemen starting in the NFL today dwarfs the amount a couple of decades ago. Something like 5 in the entire NFL to 55. Don't quote me on the numbers, but that may be the direction to go.

 

Its quiet possible that the steroid influnce took over AFTER the draft, ....while in the NFL camps. Or maybe it was the more advanced lifting practices :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Surprisingly, there wasn't nearly the difference that I thought I would find. Linemen are about 20 pounds heavier now - especially tight ends. But overall, not nearly the difference that I thought 25 years would show.

 

 

It looks to me like the offensive lineman are significantly bigger than they were 25 years ago. Same with QBs, and to a lesser extent, WR. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always thought it was spoke of in terms of muscle mass/body fat and not actual size. When looking at players back in the 70s & early 80s they didn't seem to have the same conditioning & muscle tone the guys playing now do.

Edited by rajncajn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wonder if the gap from each group would be as close after each class had a couple of years in the NFL. Is it the NFL strength and conditioning that bulks up the players to where they seem so much bigger now than in the early 80's. Would the numbers be a close (from a weight standpoint) as it seems right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will be very interested to look back at this in another ten years or so. I think right now we are really starting to see an influx of "freaks". WR's, LB's and DB's in particular are starting to become incredibly fast, huge people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since there has been a lot of talk about how much bigger players are now versus in the past, I did a quick comparison. Below are the heights and weights of players drafted in the first five rounds or so of the 1982 NFL draft versus the same for the incoming rookie class (using a generic ranking system for the top players).

 

Surprisingly, there wasn't nearly the difference that I thought I would find. Linemen are about 20 pounds heavier now - especially tight ends. But overall, not nearly the difference that I thought 25 years would show.

 

I was going to write an article about it but there just isn't enough there to warrant it.

 


DT	Malcolm Taylor	278	6' 6'' 		DT	*Alan Branch	330	6’6"

G	Sean Farrell	260	6' 3''		G	Ben Grubbs	315	6’3"
G	Roy Foster	275	6' 4''		G	Arron Sears	317	6’3"
G	Terry Tausch	275	6' 5''		G	Justin Blalock	331	6’4"
G	Mike Munchak	281	6' 3''		G	Manuel Ramirez	335	6’3"
G	Ron Hallstrom	290	6' 6''		G	Josh Beekman	315	6’2"


T	Luis Sharpe	275	6' 4'' 		T	Joe Thomas	310	6’7"
T	Bubba Paris	300	6' 6'' 		T	Levi Brown	323	6’6"
T	Reggie McElroy	281	6' 6'' 		T	Tony Ugoh	301	6’6"
T	Darryl Haley	270	6' 5'' 		T	Joe Staley	296	6’6"
T	Tootie Robbins	303	6' 5'' 		T	Marshall Yanda	304	6’4"
T	Wally Kersten	270	6' 5'' 		T	Doug Free	305	6’7"
T	Phil Pozderac	230	6' 9'' 		T	James Marten	303	6’8"

I dunno, Dave - one thing that skews things is that you only have ONE DT listed for each group - and the size difference is significant between the two. The OGs also seem to be running a 40+ lbs heavier than their '82 counterparts - I recall that Ron Hallstrom was regarded as being "huge" back then; 6'6" is tall for a G, but his 290 lbs would probably be regarded as bit light. Same with Bubba Paris - he was regarded as a man-mountain at the time but he'd be average-to-smallish today. And a prospect like Phil Pozderac would be converted to TE at 6'9" 230.

 

One thing to note - in '88 (or maybe '87) the Colts became the first team to average 300 lbs with their starting linemen. I don't think any team aside from Denver averages less than 300 lbs on their starting OL now.

 

Basically, the positions where speed is less important than mass have gotten larger - interior DL, OT, QB. The rest have remained static because at a certain point, increased mass will start to affect necessary speed. DBs, RBs, and WRs - and LBs and DEs to a lesser extent - will very rarely get above a certain weight because that will start to slow them down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information