People usually like to cheer for the underdog. We all want to be a part of the NFL stories about “Rudy.” We want that Cinderella story where the little guy beats the big, bad guy.
But we all have to face the facts. The NFL is for big guys. The big men rule and take over.
But every now and then, a few small players will join the NFL and cause trouble. They will run faster, jump higher, and maybe even beat the bigger opponents down. Here is a list of those shortest NFL players who have a lot of talent.
Maybe there are big things in small packages…
10. Jim Leonhard (5’8 “185)
He or she is probably the least well-known player on the list, but he or she is still a great player.
After two seasons with Buffalo and Baltimore in which he didn’t play much, Strong Safety Jim Leonhard decided it was time to go somewhere where he could start because of his skills and not his size.
The New York Jets gave him this chance. Leonhard agreed to play for the Jets because they promised him a starting job.
In 2009, he started all 16 games of the season in his role as Strong Safety. And by most people’s standards, he did pretty well.
He had 76 tackles, 5 passes that he deflected, 2.5 sacks, and a few turnovers.
Leonhard is also one of the smartest players in football right now. He is the “quarterback” of the Jets’ defence, which is the best in the league. He gets the play call and then tells the rest of the group what the play is about. He can guess what the quarterback will do and knows when to use his speed to get to the ball.
He is a great player in every way except that he is too small.
As he starts his sixth season in the NFL, I think we’ll hear a lot more about this tough Strong Safety.
9. Trindon Holliday (5’5 “165)
Even though he hasn’t played in the NFL yet, I couldn’t pass up this Texans rookie. At 5’5 “Holliday is the NFL’s smallest player. He is, however, one of the fastest.
Holliday was a sprinter for LSU, so speed was something that came naturally to him. He did well at national track meets. He was even qualified to run in the sprinting event at the 2007 World Championships of Athletics, but he chose not to go.
He’d rather play for LSU in football. Holliday became a star right away and burned his opponents. He was small, but it didn’t matter because no one could catch him. After Holliday graduated from LSU, he chose to go into the NFL draught.
The Texans picked this speed demon in the sixth round of the 2010 Draft. He is a kick and punt returner.
He signed with his new team, and they are now practising with him.
I think this name will soon be talked about as the latest NFL star.
8. Wes Welker (5’9 “185)
When people talk about clutch wide receivers, Wes Welker is a name everyone knows. Most people don’t think about how small this receiver is. Only 5’9 “Even though he was 6 feet tall and 185 pounds, he was a big part of that Patriots team.
Welker joined the Chargers in 2004, but he was later let go. After that, the Dolphins picked him up and he became their third receiver. After getting some good stats, he moved up to become the team’s best receiver.
But Miami’s offence was in such bad shape that Welker didn’t have the help he needed to play up to his full potential.
So, Welker joined the New England Patriots in 2007. Then he began to really shine. He turned into the perfect example of a “clutch” receiver. He always seemed to get by defenders because he was fast and could change direction quickly.
Welker got more than 1,100 yards in each of the years 2007, 2008, and 2009. He had 1,348 yards in only 13 games in 2009. In 2007 and 2009, he had the most catches in the league.
His record speaks for itself. The NFL has taken notice of this two-time Pro Bowler. He is one of the league’s best receivers right now.
7) Ray Rice is 5’8″
I do know. For a running back, 212 pounds isn’t that small. But he is not very tall and does a lot. Rice makes up for his small size by being tough and fast.
In 2008, the Ravens picked Rice in the draught. He had to share his carries with Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee. He still had 727 all-purpose yards on offence. But McGahee and McClain took touchdowns away from their teams.
But the Ravens saw how good he could be. In 2009, he was named the only starting running back for the Ravens.
Then, he had 2,041 offensive yards from all sources and 8 touchdowns.
Then, in just his second NFL season, he was picked for the Pro Bowl.
I think this young running back will do very well in the NFL.
6. Bob Sanders (5’8 “205)
Bob Sanders is one of the best strong safeties in football right now. He rules the field. Even though he is shorter than almost all of the other players on the field, he makes the most of every chance he gets.
Sanders has been one of the fastest and toughest defenders on the football field when he was healthy. He also had a great presence on the field.
His teammates and coaches call him “The Hitman” because he hits so hard on the field.
In 2004, the Indianapolis Colts picked him in the second round of the NFL Draft. Since then, he has stayed with the Colts.
In 2007, he had his best season, with 96 tackles and several turnovers.
Sanders is known for being a great teammate and making great decisions on the football field when he is healthy.
Sanders has never played a full season in his career, which is the only problem. During his whole time with the Colts, he has been hurt a lot and had to miss a lot of games. He only played four games in 2006. He has played eight games in the NFL over the last two years.
Even though he is only 29, he can still make up for the time he lost.
Sanders has been hurt a lot, but that hasn’t stopped him from being successful.
Sanders has won the Super Bowl and been named defensive player of the year. He has also been in the Pro Bowl twice.
5. DeSean Jackson, who is 5’10 “175)
Jackson is not like Ray Rice at all. He isn’t very tall for a receiver, but he isn’t too short, either. He is, however, a lot lighter. In the NFL today, 175 pounds is a very low weight for a receiver. Even so, this deep threat continues to burn defenders game after game.
Jackson signed with the Eagles for his first NFL season in 2008. As a rookie, he got a total of 1,448 yards by being a receiver and returning punts.
The Eagles saw how talented this small rookie was and gave him the chance to start.
Jackson had a total of 1,734 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2009. Jackson’s 40-yard dash time of 4.35 seconds is so fast that it leaves defenders in the dust. If you can run faster than everyone else, you don’t need to be big.
Jackson has already been selected for the Pro Bowl, and he is just getting started.
Jackson could become the best receiver in the NFL in the next few years and beat defences every single Game Day.
4. Antoine Winfield (5’9 “180)
Cornerback Antoine Winfield of the Vikings is the player on my list with the most NFL experience.
Antoine Winfield is a Pro Bowl cornerback who is known for his hard hits on the field. He is one of the best corners in the game right now. He has been in the business for eleven years and still has big hits left in him.
In 1999, the Buffalo Bills picked Winfield in the first round of the NFL Draft. This was the start of his career.
Many critics didn’t think he could defend the average height of 6’2″ because he was so short “for NFL receivers to do. He had to prove himself and fight off these doubts. And he did.
By 2001, he was playing as a starter. Winfield’s bone-crushing tackles on the field made him famous. His best year at Buffalo was 2003, when he had 107 tackles, 3 turnovers, and 11 passes that he deflected.
Then, in 2004, Winfield joined the Minnesota Vikings, who had one of the best defences in the league, and his career took off. Winfield got good at making the other team turn the ball over and putting pressure on the quarterback. Even now, six years later, he can still do the same things.
So far in his career, he has made 740 tackles, turned the ball over 32 times, scored 2 defensive touchdowns, deflected 71 passes, and even blocked a few field goals.
In the last two years, he has been to two Pro Bowls.
He is now one of the best corners in the league because of what he has learned over the years. He can figure out what the quarterback is going to do and make the right play. He doesn’t miss many tackles. And at the line, he can stuff backs.
He is one of the hardest-hitting defenders in the league, despite being so small.
3. Steve Smith (5’9 “185)
Smith may be the smallest wide receiver in NFL history to be so dangerous, fast, and angry all at the same time. Week after week, he keeps defences guessing and arguing about how to stop him.
Smith has been working for nine years and still has a lot to offer. Since the beginning of his career in 2001, he has played for the Carolina Panthers.
Smith has won a lot of awards and set a lot of records for how well he can catch, return punts, and kicks.
In his nine years in the NFL, Smith has had six times when his offence had more than 1,000 yards. In 2005, he was the best receiver in the league in all of the most important ways. He caught the most passes (103), gained the most yards (1,563), and scored the most touchdowns (103). (12).
He’s been to four Pro Bowls and has almost 8,500 yards as a receiver.
He has come back kicks and punts for just under 4,000 yards in his career.
Smith is a great player who can do a lot of different things. He is fast and has great hands.
Smith is still one of the best receivers in the game at the age of 31.
2. Jones-Drew (5’7″ 210)
Jones-Drew is one of the most versatile running backs in the game today, and he can get a first down by pounding the ball through the line.
Or, he can split to the outside and run faster than the whole defence to score a touchdown from 80 yards out. Or, as a receiver, he can run a 20-yard pattern and catch a long pass. He is the type of running back that every team needs in their backfield.
This 5’7 “Every NFL player wants to be able to do what Goliath can do. Anything.
Jones-Drew was the starting running back for Jacksonville in 2009. He had a couple of above-average seasons as the second-string running back. Then he really went crazy.
He had 16 offensive touchdowns and 1,765 yards from all offensive plays. Not only that, but he kicked back a few times, too.
Jones-Drew is now a Pro-Bowler and is known as one of the best backs in the game. He is the perfect example of how an NFL superstar can have a small body and still be very good.
1. Darren Sproles (5’6 “190)
This San Diego running back is, of course, the best. Sproles is the NFL’s face of the little guy. Sproles is easily one of the most versatile players in the NFL. He is great at running, receiving, and returning the ball.
He has set a lot of records for the most kick/punt returns, rushing yards, and receiving yards in a single game and for the whole season.
Chargers picked Sproles in the fourth round of the NFL Draft in 2005. He was listed as the third running back on the team’s roster. He was mostly a great kick and punt returner, and his skills started to get noticed.
But he hurt his ankle and missed the whole 2006 season. After that, no one paid attention to him again.
In 2007, he moved up to the second string running back position. He played a few plays on offence here and there, but mostly he was on the special teams.
He finally got his chance in 2008. In a playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts, LaDainian Tomlinson hurt himself.
Sproles ran for two touchdowns against the Colts, and one of them was the game-winner. But what really made him stand out was the perfect mix of yards he got from running, catching, and returning kicks. He got 328 total yards, which is the third most in NFL playoff history.
Now that Sproles was a bit of a star, every NFL team started to pay attention to him. Everyone was shocked by how fast he was and how hard it was for other players to catch him.
In 2009, he was the second running back for the Chargers, along with Tomlinson. He became one of the players with the most skills in the league. During the season, he had a total of 2,323 yards from all sources and 8 touchdowns. Even then, he wasn’t the only running back.
In 2010, the Chargers cut Tomlinson from the team and made Sproles the starting running back.
Now, people are coming up with plans to stop him.
In his four-year career, he has more than 5,000 kick return yards, 900 rushing yards, 900 receiving yards, and 1,000 punt return yards. He was never even the first one on the field.
When he’s out in the open, no one can stop him. He is fast and moves like no other NFL player.
He is the best little guy playing right now.
