How Football ChangedBodies by era
What Happened to the Tall Cornerback?
In the early 1970s nearly one in five NFL cornerbacks was listed at 6-2 or taller. Then the tall corner nearly disappeared, down to 4 of 190 in 2008, and short corners outnumbered tall ones for 30 seasons. By 2023 he was back to nearly one in five on NFL rosters.
By Edgehalla ResearchPublished 9 min read
Mel Blount is listed at 6-3 and 205 pounds on all 14 of his Pittsburgh rosters in our data, 1970 to 1983. In the Pro Football Hall of Fame's words, "Because of his size and speed, he literally overpowered pass receivers."
In 1978 the league allowed defenders to touch receivers only within five yards of the line. The change came to be called the Mel Blount Rule.
In Blount's day a tall cornerback was nothing unusual. By 2008 he was a rarity.
On this page
In Blount's day, nearly one in five corners was 6-2 or taller
Blount had plenty of company. From 1970 to 1974, nearly one in five cornerbacks on NFL rosters was listed at 6-2 or taller, about 16 of the roughly 80 corners in a season. Mike Haynes, a New England rookie in 1976, was listed at 6-2. Short corners were the oddity.
Blount's 6-3 is the height the Steelers printed on their roster, the same number every season. Every height in this story is a printed number like that, taken from the public NFL roster files. Old rosters list Blount's position as "DB". Across his career he is listed as a corner more often than as a safety, so he counts as a corner here, and we sort every other defensive back the same way.
Then the tall corner all but vanished, and a generation later he came back. The solid line in the chart below traces the whole trip.
Corners 6-2 or taller: nearly one in five in the early 1970s, 2% in 2008, 19% in 2023
Share of cornerbacks listed 6-2 or taller, and 5-9 or shorter
Show data
| Year | 6-2 or taller | 5-9 or shorter |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 20% | 3% |
| 1971 | 21% | 1% |
| 1972 | 17% | 1% |
| 1973 | 19% | 2% |
| 1974 | 20% | 5% |
| 1975 | 19% | 9% |
| 1976 | 17% | 9% |
| 1977 | 15% | 8% |
| 1978 | 12% | 8% |
| 1979 | 11% | 9% |
| 1980 | 12% | 8% |
| 1981 | 12% | 7% |
| 1982 | 10% | 6% |
| 1983 | 9% | 7% |
| 1984 | 8% | 9% |
| 1985 | 8% | 10% |
| 1986 | 8% | 12% |
| 1987 | 6% | 10% |
| 1988 | 7% | 8% |
| 1989 | 7% | 13% |
| 1990 | 6% | 16% |
| 1991 | 5% | 16% |
| 1992 | 4% | 17% |
| 1993 | 4% | 20% |
| 1994 | 6% | 20% |
| 1995 | 6% | 20% |
| 1996 | 8% | 20% |
| 1997 | 7% | 23% |
| 1998 | 7% | 21% |
| 1999 | 5% | 24% |
| 2000 | 5% | 22% |
| 2001 | 6% | 20% |
| 2002 | 7% | 21% |
| 2003 | 9% | 16% |
| 2004 | 7% | 13% |
| 2005 | 5% | 14% |
| 2006 | 7% | 15% |
| 2007 | 3% | 15% |
| 2008 | 2% | 15% |
| 2009 | 3% | 17% |
| 2010 | 4% | 15% |
| 2011 | 7% | 13% |
| 2012 | 8% | 12% |
| 2013 | 9% | 10% |
| 2014 | 11% | 10% |
| 2015 | 12% | 9% |
| 2016 | 10% | 8% |
| 2017 | 11% | 7% |
| 2018 | 12% | 8% |
| 2019 | 16% | 7% |
| 2020 | 16% | 9% |
| 2021 | 16% | 9% |
| 2022 | 15% | 8% |
| 2023 | 19% | 7% |
| 2024 | 19% | 7% |
| 2025 | 17% | 7% |
- 1978: Contact limited to 5 yards
Follow the solid line. It sits near one in five in Blount's early seasons, slides for more than thirty years, and climbs back after 2008. The dashed line, corners 5-9 or shorter, rises as the solid one falls. And it starts rising before 1978.
Short corners started arriving before the rule
Then came 1978 and the rule with Blount's name on it. By then, the rosters show, the corner was already shrinking.
In 1970–72 about one in 60 corners was listed at 5-9 or shorter, 4 of 239 across those three seasons. By the three seasons just before the rule, 1975 to 1977, it was about one in 12, 23 of 268. Short corners had become five times as common in five years. A jump that size is far too big to be chance.
The average corner was shrinking too. He was listed at 72.3 inches in 1971 and 71.8 inches in 1977. He weighed 189.3 lb in 1970 and 184.9 lb in 1977.
Tall corners thinned a little before the rule as well, from about one in five in 1974 (16 of 79) to about one in seven in 1977 (14 of 95). That is two fewer tall corners on rosters with fewer than 100 corners, and a swing that small could be luck. Then 1978 arrived. Blount kept his job in Pittsburgh through 1983 while the shrinking went on around him. The rosters cannot say whether the rule had any part in it. By the mid-1980s the short corner was winning.
For 30 seasons, short corners outnumbered tall ones
The short corner kept coming. In 1984, for the first time in our data, NFL rosters had more corners listed at 5-9 or shorter than at 6-2 or taller. That stayed true every season through 2013, 30 in a row.
By 1999, 38 of the league's 157 corners were 5-9 or shorter, nearly one in four, against eight tall ones. The count is bigger than in the 1970s for three reasons. The league added teams. Teams carried more corners. And from the early 1990s the rosters also list injured and released players, with practice-squad players added from 2006.
Eagles rookie Mark McMillian, a 10th-round pick in 1992, was listed at 5-7. From 1995 through 1997 his listing was 148 pounds, the lightest of any defensive back in our data. Wikipedia gives his nickname as "Mighty Mouse".
The average corner lost about an inch by the 1990s and has won most of it back
Average listed height, inches, 1970–2025. Safeties and receivers, the players corners line up beside and against, shown for comparison
in
Show data
| Year | Cornerbacks | Safeties | Wide receivers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 72.2 in | 72.7 in | 73.1 in |
| 1971 | 72.3 in | 72.8 in | 73.1 in |
| 1972 | 72.3 in | 72.7 in | 73.0 in |
| 1973 | 72.3 in | 72.7 in | 73.0 in |
| 1974 | 72.2 in | 72.8 in | 72.8 in |
| 1975 | 72.0 in | 72.7 in | 72.7 in |
| 1976 | 71.9 in | 72.8 in | 72.3 in |
| 1977 | 71.8 in | 72.7 in | 72.3 in |
| 1978 | 71.7 in | 72.7 in | 72.1 in |
| 1979 | 71.5 in | 72.7 in | 72.4 in |
| 1980 | 71.6 in | 72.6 in | 72.1 in |
| 1981 | 71.8 in | 72.5 in | 72.3 in |
| 1982 | 71.7 in | 72.4 in | 72.2 in |
| 1983 | 71.6 in | 72.4 in | 72.4 in |
| 1984 | 71.5 in | 72.5 in | 72.3 in |
| 1985 | 71.4 in | 72.6 in | 72.1 in |
| 1986 | 71.3 in | 72.7 in | 72.0 in |
| 1987 | 71.3 in | 72.5 in | 71.6 in |
| 1988 | 71.3 in | 72.6 in | 71.5 in |
| 1989 | 71.1 in | 72.5 in | 71.3 in |
| 1990 | 71.0 in | 72.3 in | 71.2 in |
| 1991 | 71.0 in | 72.3 in | 71.5 in |
| 1992 | 70.9 in | 72.3 in | 71.5 in |
| 1993 | 70.8 in | 72.3 in | 71.7 in |
| 1994 | 70.8 in | 72.2 in | 71.7 in |
| 1995 | 70.8 in | 72.2 in | 72.0 in |
| 1996 | 70.8 in | 72.2 in | 72.1 in |
| 1997 | 70.7 in | 72.1 in | 72.1 in |
| 1998 | 70.8 in | 72.1 in | 72.3 in |
| 1999 | 70.7 in | 72.1 in | 72.4 in |
| 2000 | 70.8 in | 72.1 in | 72.5 in |
| 2001 | 70.8 in | 72.1 in | 72.4 in |
| 2002 | 70.9 in | 72.0 in | 72.4 in |
| 2003 | 71.1 in | 72.1 in | 72.5 in |
| 2004 | 71.0 in | 72.2 in | 72.6 in |
| 2005 | 71.0 in | 72.3 in | 72.7 in |
| 2006 | 71.1 in | 72.2 in | 72.7 in |
| 2007 | 71.0 in | 72.3 in | 72.7 in |
| 2008 | 71.0 in | 72.2 in | 72.9 in |
| 2009 | 71.0 in | 72.2 in | 72.8 in |
| 2010 | 71.0 in | 72.2 in | 72.7 in |
| 2011 | 71.2 in | 72.0 in | 72.7 in |
| 2012 | 71.3 in | 71.9 in | 72.6 in |
| 2013 | 71.3 in | 71.9 in | 72.6 in |
| 2014 | 71.4 in | 71.8 in | 72.7 in |
| 2015 | 71.5 in | 71.9 in | 72.7 in |
| 2016 | 71.4 in | 72.0 in | 72.7 in |
| 2017 | 71.5 in | 71.9 in | 72.6 in |
| 2018 | 71.6 in | 72.0 in | 72.7 in |
| 2019 | 71.7 in | 72.0 in | 72.7 in |
| 2020 | 71.8 in | 72.0 in | 72.7 in |
| 2021 | 71.8 in | 72.1 in | 72.7 in |
| 2022 | 71.8 in | 72.2 in | 72.6 in |
| 2023 | 71.9 in | 72.2 in | 72.7 in |
| 2024 | 72.0 in | 72.2 in | 72.7 in |
| 2025 | 71.8 in | 72.1 in | 72.6 in |
Men like McMillian pulled the average corner down. On the chart the corner line sits lowest every season. Receivers dipped too, from 73.1 inches in 1971 to 71.2 inches in 1990, and came back. The safeties' decade averages stayed within an inch the whole way. The average cornerback went from 72.0 inches in the 1970s to 70.8 inches in the 1990s, about an inch. His weight hardly moved. Corners averaged 186 lb in the 1970s and 1980s and hit season lows near 183 lb in 1989–1992.
The low point for the tall corner came in 2008. That season 4 of the league's 190 corners were listed at 6-2 or taller, and 28 were 5-9 or shorter.
Some rosters name the job outright, with CB printed beside the player's name for that season. Count only those players and the 2008 low still holds. The streak changes a little. 1984 becomes a tie, and 1988 tips to more tall corners than short. So the 30-season streak depends partly on how we decide who is a corner when the roster only says DB. The 2008 low does not. Not long after it, Seattle added two tall corners in one season.
Seattle went tall while tall corners were still rare
When the tall corner started back, Seattle was near the front of the climb. In 2011 the Seahawks signed Brandon Browner, listed at 6-4 and 221 pounds, and drafted Richard Sherman, 6-3, in the fifth round. That year about one in 15 corners in the league was 6-2 or taller.
According to Wikipedia, Pete Carroll "also studied taller cornerback tandems like Mike Haynes and Lester Hayes" when assembling the group. Our rosters list Haynes at 6-2 and Hayes at 6-0, so only Haynes reached 6-2.
In 2014 tall corners outnumbered short ones for the first time since 1983, 24 to 21, and about one in nine corners was 6-2 or taller. Seattle's pair had arrived early in that climb, and the rest of the league kept climbing.
By 2023, nearly one in five corners was tall again
In 2023, 68 of the league's 359 corners were listed at 6-2 or taller, nearly one in five. That was the most since 1974. It was about the same in 2024 and slipped to about one in six in 2025. Every season since 2019, at least one corner in seven has been that tall.
Bigger rosters, or the way we sort players, could fake a comeback like this one. So we checked it two ways, and it survives both. Start with the active roster. Of those 359 corners in 2023, only 172 were on it. Most of the rest were listed on practice squads, on injured or inactive lists, or as released. Among the active ones about one in six was tall in 2023 and 2024, still the most since 1976. In that active-only count, every season from 1984 to 2013 has more short corners than tall ones, and no other season does. Its low comes a year earlier, in 2007, with 3 tall corners out of 151. In 2008 it was 4 of 155.
The table below puts the two counts side by side for a dozen seasons. The two 6-2+ columns are the ones to compare.
| Season | All rows: 6-2+ | All rows: 5-9 or shorter | Active: 6-2+ | Active: 5-9 or shorter | Active rows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 20.3% | 5.1% | 19.5% | 5.2% | 77 |
| 1990 | 5.5% | 15.6% | 5.5% | 15.6% | 109 |
| 1991 | 4.8% | 16.0% | 5.2% | 18.8% | 96 |
| 1999 | 5.1% | 24.2% | 4.6% | 22.1% | 131 |
Continues below
| Season | All rows: 6-2+ | All rows: 5-9 or shorter | Active: 6-2+ | Active: 5-9 or shorter | Active rows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 3.4% | 14.5% | 2.0% | 16.6% | 151 |
| 2008 | 2.1% | 14.7% | 2.6% | 14.2% | 155 |
| 2015 | 11.6% | 8.8% | 11.8% | 7.3% | 178 |
| 2016 | 10.0% | 8.4% | 10.6% | 8.3% | 216 |
| 2019 | 16.3% | 7.4% | 14.7% | 8.3% | 156 |
| 2023 | 18.9% | 7.2% | 15.7% | 8.7% | 172 |
| 2024 | 18.6% | 6.8% | 17.3% | 6.5% | 168 |
| 2025 | 16.5% | 6.6% | 15.4% | 8.9% | 169 |
The tall columns match within about a point and a half through the 1990s and at the 2007–08 low. In recent seasons the active count runs a little lower, 15.7% against 18.9% in 2023, and the rise is still there.
The second check is about sorting. 2023 is the season in which the files say most clearly who is a corner and who is a safety, and better sorting alone could push the count up. Count every defensive back, corner or safety, and about 19% were 6-2 or taller in both 2023 and 2024, up from 11% in 2008. In 1974 it was about 24%. For this wider count, which includes safeties, 2023–24 is the highest since 1989. Among corners alone, 19% were 6-2 or taller in 2024 and 17% in 2025, so 2023 was not a one-season spike. Players listed CB on that season's own roster line show the same rise, 66 of 347 in 2023. That leaves one doubt. Teams print these heights themselves.
The combine tape measure agrees
A team can print whatever height it likes on its roster. At the combine, the scouting event before each draft, prospects are measured, so those numbers owe nothing to a team's roster sheet. The measured heights rose too.
Measured at the combine, corners now arrive about 1.4 inches taller than in the early 2000s
Average measured height, inches, 2000–2026
in
Show data
| Year | Cornerbacks | Safeties |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 70.9 in | 71.7 in |
| 2001 | 70.8 in | 72.2 in |
| 2002 | 71.0 in | 72.7 in |
| 2003 | 70.8 in | 72.5 in |
| 2004 | 70.9 in | 71.9 in |
| 2005 | 71.0 in | 72.3 in |
| 2006 | 71.3 in | 72.3 in |
| 2007 | 71.1 in | 72.6 in |
| 2008 | 70.9 in | 72.0 in |
| 2009 | 70.7 in | 72.0 in |
| 2010 | 71.0 in | 72.2 in |
| 2011 | 71.4 in | 72.0 in |
| 2012 | 70.7 in | 72.2 in |
| 2013 | 71.0 in | 71.8 in |
| 2014 | 71.1 in | 72.0 in |
| 2015 | 71.2 in | 72.3 in |
| 2016 | 71.5 in | 72.4 in |
| 2017 | 71.9 in | 72.5 in |
| 2018 | 71.8 in | 73.0 in |
| 2019 | 72.4 in | 71.9 in |
| 2020 | 71.2 in | 72.0 in |
| 2021 | 70.7 in | – |
| 2022 | 72.4 in | 72.8 in |
| 2023 | 72.5 in | – |
| 2024 | 72.1 in | 72.5 in |
| 2025 | 72.0 in | 72.2 in |
| 2026 | 72.4 in | 72.9 in |
The corner line climbs. Single years bounce by half an inch, so watch the trend. Corners averaged 70.9 inches in 2000–04 and 72.3 inches in 2022–26. They got no heavier, 193 lb then and 191 lb now.
The rosters hold up against the combine's scale, too. Line up each rookie corner's combine weight with the weight his team printed that fall. About a third match exactly, 105 of 299. The rest miss by a few pounds either way, and the misses mostly cancel. Across all 299, the roster runs only about a fifth of a pound heavy (for 165 safeties, +0.3 lb). On the rosters, the average corner has won back most of the inch he lost, to 71.8 inches in the 2020s. Receivers in the 2020s averaged 72.7 inches, so the man in coverage still gives up most of an inch. Down and back, the average corner's whole trip came to about an inch. The rest of the league was busy doing something else.
An average would have hidden the whole trip
Most positions just grew, and linemen got huge. Corners, and receivers too, went down and back up, while the defensive back average barely moved. Start with the average defensive back. He is about the size he was in the 1950s, 190 lb then and 197 lb now, and no taller. The average cornerback barely shows the trip either. He was listed at 72.2 inches in 1974 and 71.0 inches in 2008, just over an inch shorter. Over the same years the share of corners at 6-2 or taller went from about one in five to 2%.
Tall corners went from one in five to 2%; the average corner lost just over an inch
In 1974, 20% of corners were listed at 6-2 or taller and the average corner at 72.2 in. In 2008, 2% were, and the average corner was 71.0 in.
The four boxes above come from the same roster files, one row per player per season, with corners sorted by the position they are listed at most often in their careers. In the top pair, 16 tall corners in 1974 shrink to 4 in 2008. In the bottom pair the average corner slips from 72.2 in to 71.0 in.
Most corners were between 5-10 and 6-1 in both years. At the top, the tall ones fell from about one in five to 2%. At the bottom, the short ones rose from about one in 20 to about one in seven. The average counts all of them, and most sat in the middle, so it slid just over an inch. Set that inch beside the linemen.
Now set the corner against the rest of the league. Since the 1950s offensive linemen gained 76 lb, about a third of their body weight, going from 237 lb to 313 lb. Defensive backs gained 7 lb. Since 1960 their season average has stayed between 188 lb and 200 lb.
Offensive linemen gained 76 lb since the 1950s; defensive backs gained 7
Average listed weight, pounds, NFL season rosters
lb
Show data
| Year | Offensive line | Defensive line | Linebackers | Wide receivers | Defensive backs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 230 lb | 219 lb | 219 lb | 207 lb | 185 lb |
| 1951 | 232 lb | 219 lb | 221 lb | 212 lb | 188 lb |
| 1952 | 233 lb | 223 lb | 221 lb | 213 lb | 190 lb |
| 1953 | 234 lb | 225 lb | 221 lb | 213 lb | 190 lb |
| 1954 | 235 lb | 225 lb | 222 lb | 213 lb | 187 lb |
| 1955 | 235 lb | 229 lb | 222 lb | 202 lb | 190 lb |
| 1956 | 240 lb | 230 lb | 224 lb | 207 lb | 190 lb |
| 1957 | 243 lb | 233 lb | 225 lb | 204 lb | 190 lb |
| 1958 | 245 lb | 237 lb | 226 lb | 203 lb | 193 lb |
| 1959 | 247 lb | 238 lb | 228 lb | 204 lb | 193 lb |
| 1960 | 245 lb | 240 lb | 228 lb | 200 lb | 193 lb |
| 1961 | 247 lb | 246 lb | 229 lb | 198 lb | 193 lb |
| 1962 | 248 lb | 253 lb | 229 lb | 200 lb | 192 lb |
| 1963 | 249 lb | 255 lb | 229 lb | 197 lb | 192 lb |
| 1964 | 250 lb | 255 lb | 229 lb | 195 lb | 192 lb |
| 1965 | 250 lb | 256 lb | 230 lb | 194 lb | 192 lb |
| 1966 | 250 lb | 256 lb | 229 lb | 195 lb | 192 lb |
| 1967 | 251 lb | 256 lb | 230 lb | 195 lb | 193 lb |
| 1968 | 252 lb | 257 lb | 230 lb | 195 lb | 192 lb |
| 1969 | 253 lb | 256 lb | 229 lb | 193 lb | 191 lb |
| 1970 | 253 lb | 256 lb | 229 lb | 193 lb | 191 lb |
| 1971 | 254 lb | 255 lb | 229 lb | 192 lb | 191 lb |
| 1972 | 253 lb | 255 lb | 228 lb | 192 lb | 190 lb |
| 1973 | 252 lb | 254 lb | 228 lb | 192 lb | 190 lb |
| 1974 | 253 lb | 253 lb | 228 lb | 191 lb | 190 lb |
| 1975 | 254 lb | 254 lb | 227 lb | 190 lb | 189 lb |
| 1976 | 255 lb | 253 lb | 226 lb | 188 lb | 188 lb |
| 1977 | 255 lb | 254 lb | 226 lb | 189 lb | 188 lb |
| 1978 | 256 lb | 254 lb | 225 lb | 186 lb | 188 lb |
| 1979 | 256 lb | 254 lb | 226 lb | 188 lb | 188 lb |
| 1980 | 257 lb | 255 lb | 226 lb | 187 lb | 189 lb |
| 1981 | 259 lb | 255 lb | 226 lb | 188 lb | 190 lb |
| 1982 | 261 lb | 256 lb | 226 lb | 186 lb | 189 lb |
| 1983 | 262 lb | 256 lb | 226 lb | 186 lb | 189 lb |
| 1984 | 263 lb | 257 lb | 226 lb | 186 lb | 189 lb |
| 1985 | 265 lb | 259 lb | 228 lb | 186 lb | 189 lb |
| 1986 | 268 lb | 261 lb | 228 lb | 184 lb | 189 lb |
| 1987 | 272 lb | 263 lb | 230 lb | 184 lb | 189 lb |
| 1988 | 273 lb | 265 lb | 231 lb | 183 lb | 189 lb |
| 1989 | 275 lb | 266 lb | 233 lb | 183 lb | 189 lb |
| 1990 | 277 lb | 266 lb | 233 lb | 183 lb | 189 lb |
| 1991 | 279 lb | 269 lb | 233 lb | 184 lb | 189 lb |
| 1992 | 281 lb | 272 lb | 234 lb | 184 lb | 189 lb |
| 1993 | 285 lb | 274 lb | 235 lb | 185 lb | 190 lb |
| 1994 | 295 lb | 278 lb | 238 lb | 187 lb | 192 lb |
| 1995 | 300 lb | 280 lb | 240 lb | 189 lb | 193 lb |
| 1996 | 302 lb | 283 lb | 239 lb | 190 lb | 194 lb |
| 1997 | 303 lb | 284 lb | 241 lb | 191 lb | 195 lb |
| 1998 | 306 lb | 286 lb | 241 lb | 193 lb | 196 lb |
| 1999 | 308 lb | 287 lb | 242 lb | 195 lb | 196 lb |
| 2000 | 309 lb | 287 lb | 241 lb | 197 lb | 196 lb |
| 2001 | 309 lb | 288 lb | 241 lb | 197 lb | 197 lb |
| 2002 | 309 lb | 289 lb | 241 lb | 197 lb | 198 lb |
| 2003 | 308 lb | 290 lb | 241 lb | 198 lb | 198 lb |
| 2004 | 310 lb | 292 lb | 241 lb | 200 lb | 198 lb |
| 2005 | 313 lb | 292 lb | 242 lb | 200 lb | 198 lb |
| 2006 | 314 lb | 291 lb | 242 lb | 201 lb | 198 lb |
| 2007 | 314 lb | 292 lb | 242 lb | 201 lb | 199 lb |
| 2008 | 313 lb | 291 lb | 242 lb | 202 lb | 198 lb |
| 2009 | 313 lb | 294 lb | 243 lb | 202 lb | 198 lb |
| 2010 | 314 lb | 296 lb | 244 lb | 202 lb | 199 lb |
| 2011 | 314 lb | 294 lb | 245 lb | 202 lb | 199 lb |
| 2012 | 313 lb | 294 lb | 244 lb | 202 lb | 199 lb |
| 2013 | 314 lb | 296 lb | 245 lb | 201 lb | 199 lb |
| 2014 | 313 lb | 296 lb | 246 lb | 202 lb | 199 lb |
| 2015 | 314 lb | 297 lb | 246 lb | 202 lb | 200 lb |
| 2016 | 313 lb | 294 lb | 244 lb | 201 lb | 199 lb |
| 2017 | 312 lb | 291 lb | 242 lb | 200 lb | 198 lb |
| 2018 | 312 lb | 289 lb | 240 lb | 200 lb | 199 lb |
| 2019 | 313 lb | 291 lb | 240 lb | 200 lb | 199 lb |
| 2020 | 313 lb | 290 lb | 239 lb | 200 lb | 198 lb |
| 2021 | 313 lb | 290 lb | 240 lb | 199 lb | 197 lb |
| 2022 | 313 lb | 290 lb | 240 lb | 198 lb | 197 lb |
| 2023 | 313 lb | 290 lb | 239 lb | 199 lb | 197 lb |
| 2024 | 314 lb | 288 lb | 238 lb | 198 lb | 197 lb |
| 2025 | 314 lb | 291 lb | 240 lb | 198 lb | 196 lb |
The top line is the offensive line, and it climbs most of the way up the chart. The defensive back line, in color, stays close to the bottom. In the 1950s many players went both ways, offense and defense, so few were listed as defensive backs at all (28 in 1950). The 1960–69 rosters also include the AFL, the rival league that merged with the NFL.
From the 1950s to the 2020s, receivers were the only group to get lighter; defensive backs gained 7 lb
Average listed weight, pounds, all roster rows in each decade
Show data
| 1950s | 2020s | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive line | 237 lb | 313 lb | +76 lb |
| Defensive line | 228 lb | 290 lb | +61 lb |
| Tight ends | 215 lb | 249 lb | +34 lb |
| Linebackers | 224 lb | 239 lb | +16 lb |
| Quarterbacks | 195 lb | 219 lb | +25 lb |
| Running backs | 198 lb | 215 lb | +17 lb |
| Wide receivers | 207 lb | 198 lb | −9 lb |
| Defensive backs | 190 lb | 197 lb | +7 lb |
Each line runs from the 1950s on the left to the 2020s on the right. Steep lines are the linemen. Defensive backs are close to flat, and receivers tilt slightly down.
The table below adds height. Its last column shows who got taller since the 1950s and who did not.
| Position | 1950s weight | 2020s weight | Change | 1950s height | 2020s height | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive line | 237 lb | 313 lb | +76 lb | 74.0 in | 76.9 in | +2.9 in |
| Defensive line | 228 lb | 290 lb | +61 lb | 74.5 in | 75.5 in | +1.0 in |
| Tight ends | 215 lb | 249 lb | +34 lb | 73.4 in | 76.6 in | +3.2 in |
| Linebackers | 224 lb | 239 lb | +16 lb | 73.3 in | 74.2 in | +0.8 in |
| Quarterbacks | 195 lb | 219 lb | +25 lb | 72.8 in | 74.8 in | +2.0 in |
| Running backs | 198 lb | 215 lb | +17 lb | 71.9 in | 70.9 in | -1.0 in |
| Wide receivers | 207 lb | 198 lb | -9 lb | 73.9 in | 72.7 in | -1.3 in |
| Defensive backs | 190 lb | 197 lb | +7 lb | 72.2 in | 72.0 in | -0.2 in |
The height column shows three groups that got no taller: running backs, wide receivers and defensive backs. Offensive line, defensive line, tight ends, linebackers and quarterbacks all grew. The 1950s receiver and tight end groups are small, and the 1950s defensive line includes some receivers, so treat those starting points loosely. Measured from the 1960s instead, the defensive line gained 37 lb. Receivers are lighter than in the 1950s (207 lb then, 198 lb now), but that 1950s group is tiny. From the 1960s they dropped from 196 lb to 185 lb in the 1980s and ended at 198 lb, a little heavier. So the corner's round trip did not follow the linemen. Even inside the defensive back average, corners and safeties went different ways.
Inside the average, safeties got heavier instead
While the corner shrank, the safeties playing beside him in the secondary put on weight.
Safeties gained about 12 lb from the 1970s; corners about 6 lb
Average listed weight, pounds, 1970–2025
lb
Show data
| Year | Safeties | Cornerbacks |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 193 lb | 189 lb |
| 1971 | 193 lb | 189 lb |
| 1972 | 192 lb | 188 lb |
| 1973 | 192 lb | 187 lb |
| 1974 | 193 lb | 186 lb |
| 1975 | 192 lb | 185 lb |
| 1976 | 192 lb | 184 lb |
| 1977 | 192 lb | 185 lb |
| 1978 | 192 lb | 185 lb |
| 1979 | 192 lb | 185 lb |
| 1980 | 192 lb | 186 lb |
| 1981 | 192 lb | 187 lb |
| 1982 | 192 lb | 187 lb |
| 1983 | 192 lb | 186 lb |
| 1984 | 192 lb | 186 lb |
| 1985 | 192 lb | 187 lb |
| 1986 | 193 lb | 184 lb |
| 1987 | 193 lb | 185 lb |
| 1988 | 194 lb | 184 lb |
| 1989 | 195 lb | 184 lb |
| 1990 | 194 lb | 183 lb |
| 1991 | 195 lb | 183 lb |
| 1992 | 196 lb | 183 lb |
| 1993 | 197 lb | 184 lb |
| 1994 | 200 lb | 185 lb |
| 1995 | 201 lb | 186 lb |
| 1996 | 202 lb | 187 lb |
| 1997 | 202 lb | 188 lb |
| 1998 | 204 lb | 189 lb |
| 1999 | 204 lb | 188 lb |
| 2000 | 203 lb | 189 lb |
| 2001 | 205 lb | 190 lb |
| 2002 | 206 lb | 191 lb |
| 2003 | 206 lb | 192 lb |
| 2004 | 206 lb | 192 lb |
| 2005 | 207 lb | 191 lb |
| 2006 | 207 lb | 191 lb |
| 2007 | 207 lb | 191 lb |
| 2008 | 207 lb | 191 lb |
| 2009 | 207 lb | 191 lb |
| 2010 | 207 lb | 191 lb |
| 2011 | 207 lb | 192 lb |
| 2012 | 206 lb | 193 lb |
| 2013 | 206 lb | 193 lb |
| 2014 | 207 lb | 194 lb |
| 2015 | 207 lb | 194 lb |
| 2016 | 206 lb | 193 lb |
| 2017 | 206 lb | 193 lb |
| 2018 | 205 lb | 193 lb |
| 2019 | 205 lb | 194 lb |
| 2020 | 205 lb | 193 lb |
| 2021 | 204 lb | 193 lb |
| 2022 | 204 lb | 192 lb |
| 2023 | 204 lb | 192 lb |
| 2024 | 204 lb | 192 lb |
| 2025 | 203 lb | 192 lb |
The safety line pulls away in the 1990s and stays away. In the 1970s a safety outweighed a corner by 6.0 lb. By the 2020s the gap was 11.5 lb. Most of the safeties' gain came between the early 1990s and the mid-2000s, the same years the short corner peaked. Their decade average reached 206 lb in both the 2000s and 2010s. Their height did not follow. They averaged 72.7 inches in the 1970s and 72.2 inches in the 2020s.
The 2003 Dallas Cowboys show what the heavy safety looked like. Their four active safeties averaged 222 lb, against 206 lb for safeties league-wide that season. Darren Woodson was listed at 219 pounds. Roy Williams, in his second season, was listed at 235. That ties David Whitmore (1990–1994) for the heaviest listing of any active defensive back we could sort as a safety. Those are team-printed numbers, like every listing here, and old rosters printed theirs in a particular way.
Old rosters usually printed one weight per career, and the picture holds
Can we trust a 1970s roster's 6-3? A frozen height does less damage than a frozen weight. Blount is 6-3 and 205 pounds on all 14 of his Pittsburgh rosters, one listing printed 14 times. A grown man's height does not change, so a 6-3 printed 14 times still counts one man at 6-3. Weight is the shakier number. Of players at every position who started in the 1960s and lasted three or more seasons, 99.6% kept the same listed weight every season. For players who started in the 1950s it was 31.2%, for the 1970s 64.0%, for the 1980s 57.5% and for the 1990s 16.4%.
A frozen weight can drift as a player bulks up or slims down. Players who started in the 1960s almost always carried one weight for their whole careers, and most who started in the 1970s and 1980s did too. Comparing those decades means comparing different players, each frozen at one weight. Players in their first season at defensive back give a separate check. They were not on last year's defensive back list, so no number carried over from an earlier season at the position can drive their average.
From 1990, players new to defensive back follow the same path as the whole group
Average listed weight, pounds, 1951–2025
lb
Show data
| Year | All defensive backs | First-season defensive backs |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 188 lb | 190 lb |
| 1952 | 190 lb | 192 lb |
| 1953 | 190 lb | 188 lb |
| 1954 | 187 lb | 185 lb |
| 1955 | 190 lb | 189 lb |
| 1956 | 190 lb | 187 lb |
| 1957 | 190 lb | 188 lb |
| 1958 | 193 lb | 195 lb |
| 1959 | 193 lb | 193 lb |
| 1960 | 193 lb | 193 lb |
| 1961 | 193 lb | 190 lb |
| 1962 | 192 lb | 190 lb |
| 1963 | 192 lb | 191 lb |
| 1964 | 192 lb | 192 lb |
| 1965 | 192 lb | 190 lb |
| 1966 | 192 lb | 192 lb |
| 1967 | 193 lb | 195 lb |
| 1968 | 192 lb | 190 lb |
| 1969 | 191 lb | 190 lb |
| 1970 | 191 lb | 189 lb |
| 1971 | 191 lb | 189 lb |
| 1972 | 190 lb | 189 lb |
| 1973 | 190 lb | 190 lb |
| 1974 | 190 lb | 188 lb |
| 1975 | 189 lb | 189 lb |
| 1976 | 188 lb | 187 lb |
| 1977 | 188 lb | 189 lb |
| 1978 | 188 lb | 188 lb |
| 1979 | 188 lb | 187 lb |
| 1980 | 189 lb | 188 lb |
| 1981 | 190 lb | 190 lb |
| 1982 | 189 lb | 186 lb |
| 1983 | 189 lb | 189 lb |
| 1984 | 189 lb | 189 lb |
| 1985 | 189 lb | 189 lb |
| 1986 | 189 lb | 189 lb |
| 1987 | 189 lb | 190 lb |
| 1988 | 189 lb | 189 lb |
| 1989 | 189 lb | 191 lb |
| 1990 | 189 lb | 189 lb |
| 1991 | 189 lb | 189 lb |
| 1992 | 189 lb | 190 lb |
| 1993 | 190 lb | 192 lb |
| 1994 | 192 lb | 191 lb |
| 1995 | 193 lb | 193 lb |
| 1996 | 194 lb | 192 lb |
| 1997 | 195 lb | 195 lb |
| 1998 | 196 lb | 194 lb |
| 1999 | 196 lb | 196 lb |
| 2000 | 196 lb | 194 lb |
| 2001 | 197 lb | 197 lb |
| 2002 | 198 lb | 198 lb |
| 2003 | 198 lb | 198 lb |
| 2004 | 198 lb | 195 lb |
| 2005 | 198 lb | 197 lb |
| 2006 | 198 lb | 198 lb |
| 2007 | 199 lb | 198 lb |
| 2008 | 198 lb | 197 lb |
| 2009 | 198 lb | 196 lb |
| 2010 | 199 lb | 199 lb |
| 2011 | 199 lb | 198 lb |
| 2012 | 199 lb | 198 lb |
| 2013 | 199 lb | 199 lb |
| 2014 | 199 lb | 197 lb |
| 2015 | 200 lb | 199 lb |
| 2016 | 199 lb | 196 lb |
| 2017 | 198 lb | 196 lb |
| 2018 | 199 lb | 197 lb |
| 2019 | 199 lb | 197 lb |
| 2020 | 198 lb | 196 lb |
| 2021 | 197 lb | 195 lb |
| 2022 | 197 lb | 196 lb |
| 2023 | 197 lb | 197 lb |
| 2024 | 197 lb | 195 lb |
| 2025 | 196 lb | 195 lb |
From the 1990s on the two lines rise and fall together. Newcomers show the same trend as everyone else, so stale listings are not driving it. Before 1990 the rosters cannot settle it either way.
Modern rosters also carry far more players who are not on the active roster. In the 1980s, 99% of defensive back rows were active players. In the 2020s, 49% were. So for 2016 to 2025 we also counted every defensive back by his defensive snaps. A corner like Gardner in his Rookie of the Year season counts once for every snap he played. A practice-squad corner who never takes a snap counts for nothing. That moves the average by at most 2.0 lb. In 2025 it was 198 lb counted by snaps and 196 lb counted by roster.
A rookie at Blount's height
In 2022, 44 years after the Mel Blount Rule, the Jets took Sauce Gardner fourth overall, and he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year. That season about one in seven corners in the league was 6-2 or taller. The next season it was nearly one in five. The roster lists Gardner at 6-3. That is Mel Blount's height.
How we measured it
- One row per player per season from nflverse rosters, using that season’s listed height and weight. Repeated rows for the same player are counted once.
- Position groups follow the roster position: defensive backs are DB, CB, S, FS, SS and SAF; running backs include fullbacks and halfbacks.
- Corner or safety is a career label from every specific label a player carries (season position, depth chart position, the nflverse players file). Players with no label or a tie are left out of that split.
- Tall and short corners: the share of career-labeled cornerbacks listed 74 in (6-2) or more, and 69 in (5-9) or less, from 1970. Listings over 6-7 (79 in) are treated as typos and left out of these shares only.
- Season-listed corners: rows whose own season position or depth-chart position is CB, with no career label.
- Active players only: the same shares counting only rows with roster status ACT. Roster status codes on defensive back rows: injured (RES) and released (CUT) from 1991, practice squad (DEV) from 2006, inactive (INA) from 2019.
- Lightest and heaviest listings use active players with a corner or safety label, each player counted once at his extreme listing.
- Combine figures are measured heights and weights of players listed CB or S, 2000–2026.
- Snap weighting uses nflverse participation files for 2016–2025.
Continues below
- Weight and height filters, all positions: listings under 120 lb (2 rows, plus 11 blank zeros) and heights under 60 in (0) are skipped; a listing over 450 lb or more than 100 lb from the nflverse players file is dropped (1 row).
"Defensive back" covers two jobs, and rosters usually say only DB. So we give each player the label, cornerback or safety, that he carries most often across every season and source. From 1970 that label exists for 79%–99% of defensive backs each season. The exception is 1987 (47%), when most of those without a label are the stand-in players teams used during the players' strike.
Defense tools
Live Edgehalla tools on the same subject.
Show the work
- Tests written down
- Not in advance (exploratory)
- Results computed
nflverse season rosters 1950–2025 (21,810 defensive back-seasons, 5,086 players), the nflverse players file for position labels, the combine file 2000–2026 and participation files for snap weighting. Descriptive history; no holdout because nothing is being predicted. Rule dates and player details are from the Wikipedia pages listed under sources; the 1978 rule and Seattle's corners are paired with the data by date only.
| Test | Result | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| DB 72.2 in and 190 lb in the 1950s, 72.0 in and 197 lb in the 2020s | 72.2 in, 190 lb; 72.0 in, 197 lb | Held |
| The flat line is frozen listings | Pre-1990 listings are career weights (99.6% unchanged for 1960s starters); first-season DBs 189 lb (1990), 199 lb (2010), 195 lb (2025) | Cannot test before 1990; from 1990 newcomers track the group |
More tests below
| Test | Result | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Roster rows overstate non-players | Snap-weighted within 2.0 lb of roster mean, 2016–2025 | Held |
| Corners started shrinking only after the 1978 contact rule | 5-9-or-shorter share 1.7% (1970–72) to 8.6% (1975–77), z 3.46; mean height 72.3 in (1971) to 71.8 in (1977); 6-2+ share 19.4% (1970–74) vs 16.8% (1975–77), z -0.87; 1974 vs 1977, z -0.96 | Rejected: short-corner share and mean height moved before 1978; the tall-share dip before 1978 is noise |
| Short corners outnumbered tall corners 1984–2013 | Short > tall in every season 1984–2013 (30), tall > short in every other season 1970–2025, no ties; 2008: 4 tall, 28 short of 190; 2014: 24 tall, 21 short | Held |
Continues below
| Test | Result | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 has the highest tall-corner share since 1974 | 18.9% (68 of 359); 1973 19.3% and 1974 20.3% higher; every season 1975–2022 lower | Held |
| The tall-corner swing is a roster-composition artifact (1991 and 2016 file changes) | Active players only: short > tall 1984–2013; low 2.0% (2007); 2023 15.7%, 2024 17.3% vs all rows 18.9%, 18.6%; combine +1.4 in (2000–04 to 2022–26) | Rejected: same run and a low near 2%; in 2023–24 the active count is 1.3–3.2 points lower, still the highest since 1976 |
| Corners got taller recently (listed) | 70.8 in (1990s) to 71.8 in (2020s) | Held |
| Corners got taller recently (measured) | Combine 70.9 in (2000–04) to 72.3 in (2022–26) | Held |
Continues below
| Test | Result | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| The 2023 tall share is a labelling bump | Corners 18.9% / 18.6% / 16.5% (2023–2025); all DBs 18.8% / 19.2% | Not a one-season spike |
| Safeties grew more than corners | 192 lb to 204 lb vs 186 lb to 192 lb (1970s to 2020s) | Held |
Frequently asked questions
How big is the average NFL defensive back?
About 72.0 in and 197 lb by listed size in the 2020s. Safeties average 204 lb and corners 192 lb.
Have NFL cornerbacks gotten taller?
Yes, after getting shorter first. Listed corners averaged 70.8 in in the 1990s and 71.8 in in the 2020s. Measured at the combine, corners averaged 70.9 in in 2000–04 and 72.3 in in 2022–26. The share listed at 6-2 or taller fell to 2% in 2008 and was 19% in 2023.
Did the Mel Blount Rule make cornerbacks smaller?
The data can't say. The 1978 rule limited contact to five yards from the line. Before it, short corners were already becoming common (1.7% of corners were 5-9 or shorter in 1970–72, 8.6% in 1975–77), and average height was falling. Tall corners dipped a little before the rule, by an amount that could be luck, and kept falling after it.
Are NFL players bigger than in the 1950s?
Most are. Offensive linemen gained 76 lb and defensive linemen 61 lb on average. Defensive backs gained only 7 lb and are no taller.
Why are safeties heavier than cornerbacks?
Safeties have been the heavier half of the secondary since at least the 1970s, and the gap has grown: about 6.0 lb in the 1970s and 11.5 lb in the 2020s, by listed weight.
More in Bodies by era
Sources and method
- nflverse rosters, players and combine files (CC-BY 4.0)
- NFL Next Gen Stats via nflverse: on-field personnel, 2016–2022 (CC-BY-SA 4.0)
- FTN Data via nflverse: on-field personnel, 2023–2025 (CC-BY-SA 4.0)
- Licence for the NFL Next Gen Stats and FTN Data used here: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC-BY-SA 4.0)
- Pro Football Hall of Fame, "Mel Blount"
- Wikipedia, "Mel Blount"
- Wikipedia, "1978 NFL season" (rule changes)
- Wikipedia, "Mark McMillian"
- Wikipedia, "Legion of Boom"
- Wikipedia, "Richard Sherman (American football)"
- Wikipedia, "Sauce Gardner"
Research and analysis, not betting advice. Past results do not guarantee future returns; bet only what you can afford to lose.