As everyone knows, a running back is typically one of the most important players in a National Football League game. As you may expect, one of the most important factors in determining how successful an NFL team is, is the talent level of its running back. So, how tall is a typical NFL running back?
Well, the answer to this question is dependent on the team. Generally, the average height of a running back in the NFL is between five foot ten and six foot two. To be a successful running back in the league, many coaches and scouts look for a player that is tall enough to run effectively between the tackles, yet short enough to produce a low center of gravity to dodge defenders.
Interestingly enough, it is not even uncommon to find a running back that is six foot three or six foot four in the league. These taller players tend to rely more on their size and length to gain yards. By holding the football away from defenders, these taller running backs have the ability to push extra yards within the tackles.
What amazes me, is that even for players under six feet tall, there is a huge success rate for them in the NFL. Some of the best running backs of all time, such as Emmitt Smith, had heights under six feet.
This just goes to show that running back size is something that needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and is certainly not a be all and end all when it comes to producing success on a football field.
Of course, NFL teams are looking for running backs with both physical and mental attributes. Size is important, but what is more important is the running back’s ability to read a defense, make smart decisions and execute any given play to the best of their ability. For most teams, this is the main requirement they are looking for in a running back.
The overall physical size of the running back is just a bonus. Teams would much rather have a smaller running back that can execute a play perfectly, than a bigger running back who doesn’t fully understand his assignment.
So, to sum up, the height of an NFL running back is something that varies from team to team, and from player to player. There is no set size that a running back should be, and that is what makes the NFL great. With all the variation in size and talent, you never know what exciting player or performance is around the corner. Isn’t it great?