10 Tallest NFL Player in History

When it comes to NFL players, significant attention goes to the tallest NFL player in the game, and players’ age, height, and earnings are always the main topic of conversation. The tallest NFL players, such as Richard Sligh, Ed Jones, and Dan McGwire, draw the crowd’s attention.

NFL undoubtedly demands tremendous physical strength and a lofty height as a player moves forward, countering and pushing other giants on his way.

How old is he, how fast is he, and how tall is he? People are curious about how tall a player should be to qualify for the NFL. 

Firstly, a player should be 6 ft 2 inches taller to qualify as an NFL player. As a matter of fact, during NFL season, social media is always buzzing with questions about their favorite player’s height.

Many people watch the NFL and are fascinated by their favorite team and players. In a group, there are several positions such as quarterback, running back, wide receiver, etc.

In addition, each player needs to be a certain height to qualify for their team position.

Do you know who the tallest guy is playing on the American football grounds these days? Find out who tops the chart in the tallest players list!

The Tallest NFL Players in History

Let’s look at the list of the tallest players in NFL history and their heights from highest to the lowest. The data mentioned below have complied from different trusted sources like NFL. 

1. Richard Sligh

• Born: August 18, 1944 
• Deceased: December 23, 2008
• Position: Defensive Tackle 
• Team: Oakland Riders

Late Richard Sligh is no doubt the tallest player in NFL history. When you look at his pictures, you can see his height and might guess it to be around 7 ft. He is the only NFA player to cross the 7 ft mark. 

Standing at 7 ft and 2 inches, Richard Sligh played defensive tackle for his team Oakland Riders. It was in 1967; the Riders drafted him in the 10th round. However, he only played eight games. 

During Super Bowl II, Sligh was kept as a reserve for the Riders. Then, in 1968, he moved to Cincinnati Bengals. Unfortunately, he retired around the end of the season. 

Sligh passed away on December 28, 2008, due to natural causes. He died at the age of 64. 

You may like to read about The Most Tragic Deaths in Sports. 

2. Morris Stroud

• Born: May 17, 1946
• Deceased: October 17, 2019 
• Position: Tight end
• Team: Kansas City Chiefs

Standing at 6 ft and 10 inches, Stroud is the second tallest NFL player in history. But, in terms of the current scenario, Leonard Pope is known as the second tallest player alive. However, as we are considering in the NFL history, it is indeed Late Morris Stroud. 

Stroud played for the Kansas City Chiefs as a tight end. He played for the Chiefs from 1969 to 1974. Then, in 1969 he played in the AFL Championship.

Regardless of having minimal experience in football, he was still chosen by the coach for the 1969’s NFL Draft.

In his professional career, he was named the Super Bowl Champion and, in 1969, was named the AFL Champion.

He secured 977 receiving yards, 54 passes, seven touchdowns, and 18.1 yards in his NFL career. Unfortunately, Stroud passed away in 2016 due to natural causes. 

You may also like to read The Shortest NFL Players in History.

3. Jonathan Ogden

• Born: July 31, 1974, (Age: [calculate years datestring=”07/31/1974″] Years Old)
• Position: Offensive Tackle 
• Team: Baltimore Ravens

The next player is Jonathan Ogden, who stands at 6ft and 9inches. Ogden spent all of his NFL career committing to the Baltimore Ravens.

Before starting a professional football career, he used to play college football for the UCLA Bruins. 

The Ravens first chose Jonathan for the 1996 NFL Draft in the first round itself. He received Hawaii Trip prizes every season in his debut year because of his exceptional work. 

Ogden was selected for 11 Pro Bowls and All-pro. He is one of the most outstanding offensive tacklers of his time.

He was also named the Super Bowl Champion and received the UPI Lineman of the year award in 1995 and the Jim Parker Award. 

4. Ed “Too Tall” Jones

• Born: February 23, 1951, (Age: 73 Years Old)
• Position: Defensive End
• Team: Dallas Cowboys

Ed Jones is called Ed Too Tall Jones because of his height. Although a retired NFL player, he has had a remarkable career. Jones played 15 seasons from 1974 to 1989, taking few breaks. 

Standing at 6 ft 9 in, Too Tall Jones is also interested in boxing. He was intrigued by boxing that he took breaks from football to pursue and learn boxing. 

Before his NFL career, he played college football for Tennesse State University. Then, in 1974, Jones was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.

Jonas made history as the first football player ever to come from a black college to be selected that high for the NFL draft. 

In addition to football, Ed also had a remarkable boxing career. In 1986, Jones was chosen as guest referee for Wrestle Mania.

5. Dan McGwire

• Born: December 18, 1967, (Age: 56 Years Old)
• Position: Quarterback 
• Team: Seatle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins

Dan McGwire standing at 6 ft 8 inches, is an American football player who started his career with Seattle Seahawks. His NFL career was short-lived, from 1991 to 1995.

He is the younger sibling of Major League Baseball player Mark McGwire. 

Dan played for the Seahawks for four seasons and one season with the Miami Dolphins. Rick Mirer was drafted as Dan’s replacement by the Seahawks because of his low performance. He was out of the NFL in the year 1995. 

6. Harold Carmichael

• Born: September 22, 1949, (Age: 74 Years Old)
• Position: Wide Receiver 
• Team: Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys 

Harold Carmichael is a former American football player who played the position of wide receiver. He stayed with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1971 to 1983 and with the Dallas Cowboys in 1984. 

Before starting his professional career, he played college basketball at Southern University and then played football.

The Philadelphia Eagles instantly recognized his talent as he was chosen for the 1971 NFL Draft. 

In 1980, he was recognized as the NFL Man of the year. He retired from the industry with 590 receptions, 8985 receiving yards, and 79 TDs. 

Now, he resides in South Jersey and works as an ambassador for the Eagles. 

7. Jared Veldheer

• Born: June 14, 1987, (Age: 36 Years Old)
• Position: Offensive Tackle 
• Team: Oakland Riders

Another NLF player who stands tall at 6 ft 8inches is Jared Veldeer, an NFL offensive tackler.

He started his NLF career in 2010 when the Oakland Raiders drafted him. He began as a center but was later played as an offensive tackle. 

However, in 2014 he moved to the Arizona Cardinals. The contract was worth $35 million for five years. Later in 2018, he moved to Denver Broncos. 

Nonetheless, Jared has had many team changes. Next, he signed with Denver Broncos in 2018, New England Patriots in 2019, Green Bay Packers the same year, and Indianapolis Colts in 2020.

Whereas, in 2021, he re-signed with the Green Bay Packers. 

8. Robert Gallery

• Born: July 26, 1980, (Age: 43 Years Old)
• Position: Guard Tackle 
• Team: Oakland Raiders

Robert is known as the largest guard tackle in the history of the NFL. Standing at 6ft 7 inches tall, now retired, he played for the Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, and New England Patriots. 

Robert Gallery started his professional career in the 2004 NFL draft when the Oakland Raiders selected him. Gallery played in all 16 games as a correct tackle. But, later, he was moved to the position of left tackle and on to left guard. 

Furthermore, in 2011 he moved to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL off-season and signed a deal of three years worth $15 million but only to be removed after a year. Moreover, in 2012 he signed with the New England Patriots for a deal of one year. 

In the same year, 2012, he announced that he was retiring from professional football. 

9. Ted Hendricks

• Born: November 1, 1947, (Age: 76 Years Old)
• Position: Outside Linebacker
• Teams: Baltimore Colts, Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, and Green Bay Packers

This 6 ft 7 inches tall retired American football player Ted Hendricks started his professional career in the 1969 NFL draft. The Baltimore Colts selected him as a linebacker in the second round. 

<<<15 Greatest NFL Players of All Time>>>

On the other hand, he has had many team changes from Baltimore Colts, Oakland, Los Angeles Raiders, and Green Bay Packer. In his NFL career, he broke the record with four safeties. His NFL statistics include 60.5 quarterback sacks and 26 interceptions. 

Moreover, he was named UPI Lineman in 1968, 4 times Super Bowl Champion, eight times Pro Bowl champion, and received the Baltimore Ravens Ring of Honor. In 1990, he was selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Furthermore, he has made a name of himself as the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders leader, who successfully led his team in the Super Bowl. 

10. Pat Watkins

• Born: December 18, 1982, (Age: 41 Years Old)
• Position: Safety
• Team: Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers

Last but not least, we have Pat Watkins. Pat is a retired NFL star who played for the Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers. He also played CFL, Canadian Football League for Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Eskimos. 

In 2006 during the NFL Scouting Combine, he posted 4.42 seconds of 40 yard dash time. In the same year, he was chosen for the 2006 NFL draft by the Cowboys. His debut year began with nine starts in 14 games in total. 

However, after playing with the Cowboys from 2006 to 2010, he moved to the San Diego Chargers in 2010. Unfortunately, due to his injuries, the Charges decided not to re-sign him for another season. 

Furthermore, after being away from NFL, he began his career in CFL. Watkins played in the Canadian football league from 2012 to 2016. But, unfortunately, he wasn’t re-signed by the Edmonton Eskimos for another season. 

Conclusion 

Undoubtedly, if combined, the outstanding NFL players on our list would make a fantastic basketball team.

Especially in the NBA, height is considered a significant talk of the town. However, in the NFL, size isn’t as crucial but still plays an important role. 

For instance, it is advantageous for quarterback jumps to have a tall player rather than a short one. And, also in defense, taller players certainly play an essential role.