Okay, so I was scrolling through my phone the other day, and a question popped into my head: Who’s the tallest running back in the NFL? I mean, we always hear about the fastest or the strongest, but height? That’s a different ball game.
So, I started digging. First, I hit up the usual spots, you know, the big sports websites. They had some info, but nothing really clear. I found a few names tossed around. Derrick Henry was one that kept coming up. He’s a big dude, 6’3″, playing for the Tennessee Titans. That’s pretty tall for a running back, I thought.
Then I stumbled upon some fantasy football stats. Now, I don’t play fantasy, but I figured these guys would have some good data. And they did! There were lists of top players with names like Henry, Williams, Barkley. These lists were based on fantasy points, not height, but it was a good starting point. I’m thinking I can cross-reference this with player profiles later.
Digging Deeper
I found another article listing the four tallest running backs in 2022, all at 6’3″. Interesting, so Derrick Henry wasn’t alone up there. It also mentioned there were six guys at 5’8″. That’s a big difference! It got me thinking about how height might affect a running back’s style.
Another source I found had a list of the tallest NFL players, voted on by fans. The top two were offensive linemen, which made sense, but it didn’t really help me with my running back quest. The search continued.
I saw a name: Cordarrelle Patterson. The site claimed he was the tallest at 6’2″. That contradicted what I found earlier about those 6’3″ guys. Hmm, time to do some more fact-checking, I thought. More digging was definitely needed. I jotted down a few more names and stats to look into later.
Team Standings and More Fantasy
I decided to look at team standings next. Maybe there was a pattern with taller running backs and successful teams? I saw the Bills, Dolphins, Steelers, Ravens, Texans. Lots of info on wins and losses, but nothing that really connected to my height question. So, standings weren’t going to be much help, it seemed.
Back to the fantasy stats. I found another list, similar to the first one, with players like Henry, Kamara, and Barkley. The wide receivers and tight ends listed didn’t help me much either. I was starting to feel like I was going in circles. This was harder than I thought it was going to be.
The Tallest Ever?
Then I found something really interesting. A guy named Bert Coan, apparently the tallest running back in history! And he was fast too, with one of the fastest 100-yard dash times ever. Whoa. But then I saw a mention of a player named Sligh, who was 7 feet tall! But he wasn’t a running back, so that didn’t really count for my search. Still, 7 feet! Imagine that on the field.
So, after all this searching, what did I find? Well, it seems like Derrick Henry is up there among the tallest active running backs, at 6’3″. But there might be others at that height too. Cordarrelle Patterson is also tall, but maybe not the tallest. And historically, Bert Coan seems to be the tallest running back ever. I decided that Derrick Henry is the tallest now in the NFL.
It was a fun little research project, even if it got a bit confusing at times. It just goes to show, there’s always something new to learn about football!
- Checked major sports websites.
- Looked at fantasy football rankings.
- Read articles about tallest running backs.
- Explored fan-voted lists of tallest players.
- Investigated team standings.
- Reviewed more fantasy football data.
- Discovered historical info about tallest players.
I finally found the answer that Derrick Henry is the tallest now in the NFL.
