When you think of an NFL quarterback, you probably picture a mountain of a man. Someone like Josh Allen or Justin Herbert—guys who look like they were built in a lab to see over 6-foot-5 offensive linemen. Then there’s Drew Brees. If you ever saw him standing in the huddle next to his guards in New Orleans, he looked... well, normal. He looked like a guy you’d see at a grocery store, not a first-ballot Hall of Famer who dismantled defenses for two decades.
The question of how tall was Drew Brees has been a talking point since his days at Purdue. Scouts obsessed over it. Critics used it as a reason he wouldn’t make it. But the numbers don’t lie, even if the eye test occasionally felt like it was playing tricks on us.
The Official Measurement: Setting the Record Straight
Let's get the hard data out of the way first. At the 2001 NFL Scouting Combine, the scouts pulled out the tape measure for a moment that would define Brees's draft stock.
Drew Brees measured in at 6 feet and 1/4 inch.
That’s it. Barely over the six-foot mark.
In the world of professional football, that 1/4 inch was doing a lot of heavy lifting. If he had measured 5-foot-11, there’s a real chance he wouldn't have been a second-round pick. NFL teams are notoriously "height-ist." They want their QBs to be at least 6-foot-2 so they can see "throwing lanes" over the massive bodies in the trenches.
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He weighed about 213 pounds at the time, which was solid, but that height? It was a red flag for every GM in the league. Honestly, it’s the main reason he slid to the San Diego Chargers at the start of the second round (32nd overall) instead of being a top-10 lock.
Why Everyone Thought He Was Shorter
You’ve probably heard people swear Brees was actually 5-foot-10. Or maybe 5-foot-11 on a good day.
Why the discrepancy?
Part of it is just the "giant" factor. When you're standing behind a left tackle like Terron Armstead, who is 6-foot-5 and 300-plus pounds, you’re going to look tiny. But there’s also the reality of "NFL height." It’s an open secret that colleges often inflate player heights in their programs. If a guy is 5-foot-11, the school roster says 6-foot-1. When Brees actually hit the combine and the "official" number came out as 6-foot-0.25, it felt like a win because it proved he wasn't as small as the skeptics feared.
Still, compared to his peers, he was a statistical outlier. During his peak years, he was constantly compared to Peyton Manning (6'5") and Tom Brady (6'4"). Next to them, Brees looked like a different species.
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How He Won Without the Height
If Brees was "too short," how did he retire with over 80,000 passing yards? How did he lead the league in passing yards seven different times?
He didn't play like a tall quarterback. He played like a surgeon.
- The Tip-Toe Maneuver: If you watch old Saints film, you’ll see Brees constantly bouncing. He stayed on his toes, sometimes literally jumping into throws to get the ball over the outstretched arms of a defensive end.
- Throwing Lanes: He didn't try to see over the linemen; he saw between them. He had an uncanny ability to find the tiny windows of space—the "lanes"—that opened up for a split second.
- The Footwork: Sean Payton, his long-time coach, often talked about Brees having the best footwork in the history of the game. He moved within the pocket with such precision that he was rarely "blinded" by his own blockers.
Kinda incredible when you think about it. He turned a physical "disadvantage" into a masterclass in spatial awareness.
The "Short King" Legacy in the NFL
Brees basically kicked the door open for the next generation. Before him, the "short QB" was a gimmick or a backup. Because of what he accomplished, the NFL started looking at guys like Russell Wilson (5'11") and Kyler Murray (5'10") with a lot more respect.
He proved that if your processing speed is elite and your accuracy is pinpoint, your height is just a number on a piece of paper. He wasn't just "good for a short guy." He was one of the greatest to ever touch a football, period.
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What to Remember About the Brees Height Myth
When people ask how tall was Drew Brees, the answer is a flat 6 feet (and that tiny fraction). He wasn't a giant, but he played bigger than anyone else on the field.
If you're a young athlete being told you're too small, Brees is the ultimate case study. He took a "deficiency" and used it to fuel a 20-year career that ended with a Super Bowl ring and a certain spot in Canton.
Key Takeaways for Your Next Sports Debate:
- Official Combine Height: 6' 0 1/4".
- Draft Impact: His height is the primary reason he wasn't a first-round pick in 2001.
- Success Secret: Elite footwork and the ability to find throwing lanes rather than looking over the top of the line.
- Historical Context: He retired as the all-time leader in several categories, proving height isn't a prerequisite for greatness.
Next time you're watching a "short" quarterback struggle or succeed, look at their feet. If they're moving like Brees, they’ve got a chance.