NFL: 1920s Offensive Lineman vs 2014, A Huge Difference
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, NFL players are getting ginormous. The positions that have really increased in size are on the offensive line. At the NFL combine in 2014, not one OL was under 6’2 or below 296. NFL nose tackle’s average weight in 2014 was just shy of 323-pounds.
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That number tops cornerbacks by more than 130-pounds. When compared to the average OL in the 1920s, 2014 lineman are over 100-pounds heavier. The heaviest tackle in the NFL is 360-pound Baltimore left tackle, Bryant McKinnie. Joe Flacco was sacked just 19 times in 2014 thanks in part to McKinnie.
Actually, I’m guessing a very, very large part.
According to Bleacher Report, the bigger players are not always eager to discuss their weight. In fact some go as far as to tell people they weigh less than their true weight. I guess this was surprising to me since size is a matter of pride in the league. But then again some may feel they’ll be criticized for their girth.
NFL Avg Player Weight BestTicketsBlog
I recently listened to an interview done with Division III offensive line prospect, Ali Marpet, who was preparing for this year’s draft (2nd round Tampa Bay). In college he weighed 305-pounds. He then revealed he needs to consume about 10,000 calories a day to keep the weight on**. That is a huge amount of food to try to eat each day. Making sure he meets his caloric intake goal is like a full-time job.
**That bit of information may further contribute to the list of reasons why certain countries are not fans of the great USA**
To further illustrate how much players have grown since the 1920s, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton (6’5, 250) would have been the biggest player in the NFL back then. In fact he would’ve been the tallest until sometime in the 1930s.
The average size of current NFL players could be described as a weighty issue. Some may feel the information in this article is heavy. The amount of statistics used in this article was enormous. It was just time to address the elephant in the locker room.
Whale, I should wrap this up. Thanks for reading!
Go Hawks!
Next: Frank Clark's statement to Seahawks fans
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