Football is a game of giants. We see these massive 300-pound human mountains on our TV screens every Sunday and assume you have to be a literal titan to step onto that grass. But that's not always the case. Not even close.
Honestly, the "eye test" in the NFL is kinda broken. If you look at the Dallas Cowboys' backfield, you’ll see a guy who looks like he wandered away from a high school practice and accidentally suited up for a pro game. That's Deuce Vaughn.
As of 2026, Deuce Vaughn is the smallest player in the NFL, standing at just 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing in around 176 pounds. He isn't just "short for a football player." He’s shorter than the average American male. Yet, here he is, making defenders look silly in the open field.
Deuce Vaughn: The Current King of the Underdogs
Vaughn is basically a blur on the field. When he’s behind his offensive linemen—who usually tower over him by more than a foot—he becomes invisible to the defense. It’s a tactical nightmare for linebackers. They can’t see him until he’s already three yards past them.
Drafted out of Kansas State in 2023, Vaughn faced the "too small" critique at every single level. He heard it in high school. He heard it when he was a Consensus All-American in college. People thought he'd get crushed the second a 250-pound linebacker squared him up.
Guess what? He's still here.
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His low center of gravity is his secret weapon. It’s simple physics, really. If a defender tries to hit him high, they miss. If they try to hit him low, he’s already bounced off or spun away. He’s got this "micro-machine" energy that makes him incredibly hard to wrap up in a phone booth.
The Short List: Other Tiny Titans in the League
Vaughn isn't the only one proving that height is a vanity metric. The league actually has a handful of guys who would struggle to reach the top shelf at a grocery store but can outrun almost anyone on the planet.
J.J. Taylor and Deonte Harty are right there in the mix. Harty, a wide receiver and return specialist for the Baltimore Ravens, is listed at 5 feet 6 inches. He’s a former All-Pro returner. Think about that. One of the best players at his position in the entire world is the same height as your average ninth grader.
Then you have guys like Boston Scott (5'6") and Rondale Moore (5'7"). Scott, famously known as the "Giant Killer" during his time with the Eagles, made a career out of destroying the New York Giants. It was poetic. The smallest guy on the field consistently wrecking the team named after large people.
Greg Dortch of the Arizona Cardinals is another one. He’s 5'7" and has become a cult hero for fantasy football managers because he just flat-out produces. He’s shifty. He’s reliable. He doesn't care that he's looking up at everyone in the huddle.
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Shortest Active NFL Players (Quick Glance)
- Deuce Vaughn (RB, Dallas Cowboys): 5'5"
- J.J. Taylor (RB, Houston Texans): 5'5 1/4"
- Deonte Harty (WR/RS, Baltimore Ravens): 5'6"
- Boston Scott (RB, Free Agent): 5'6"
- Rondale Moore (WR, Atlanta Falcons): 5'7"
- Blake Grupe (K, New Orleans Saints): 5'7"
Wait, did you catch that last name? Even the kickers aren't always tall. Blake Grupe weighs about 156 pounds. In a league where some guys eat that much for breakfast, he’s out there booming 50-yard field goals.
The "Soupy" Legacy: Who Was the Smallest Ever?
If you think 5'5" is small, history has a much wilder story for you. We have to go back to 1929 to find the true record-holder.
Jack "Soupy" Shapiro is officially the shortest player in NFL history. He stood 5 feet 1 inch tall.
He played for the Staten Island Stapletons. Yes, that was a real team. Soupy weighed about 119 pounds. He played in one official game, but that one game was enough to cement his name in the record books forever. He was a blocking back, which is hilarious to think about. Imagine a 119-pound man trying to block a charging defender. He probably just got in their way and hoped for the best.
Later in the modern era, Trindon Holliday held the mantle. Also 5'5", Holliday was a human lightning bolt for the Denver Broncos. He famously returned both a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in a single playoff game against the Ravens in 2013. He was so small that he looked like a glitch in a video game.
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Does Being Small Actually Help?
You'd think being the smallest player in the NFL would be a massive disadvantage. In some ways, sure, it's tough. You aren't winning many jump-ball battles against a 6'3" cornerback.
But there are genuine "small guy" perks:
- The Hidden Factor: As mentioned with Vaughn, if a quarterback is under center and the running back is 5'5", the defense loses sight of the ball. It’s a shell game.
- Contact Balance: Smaller players usually have a much lower center of gravity. This makes them "slippery." They don't fall down easily when hit because their weight is already so close to the ground.
- The Target Zone: It is genuinely harder to tackle a small, fast person without getting a penalty. If you aim too high, you hit the head (flag). If you aim too low, you miss. The "strike zone" is tiny.
The Quarterback Exception
Usually, the height talk focuses on quarterbacks. People obsessed over Kyler Murray and Bryce Young because they are both roughly 5 feet 10 inches. In the world of NFL scouts, that was considered a "red flag."
But the success of Murray and the legendary career of Drew Brees (who was barely 6'0") proved that as long as you can find the passing lanes, the tape measure doesn't matter. The "smallest" label is relative. A 5'10" quarterback is a "short king" on the field but would be the tallest guy in most coffee shops.
Practical Takeaways for the Next Generation
If you’re a younger athlete or a fan who’s been told you’re too small to play, the NFL's current roster is your best argument.
- Speed is the great equalizer. If you’re small, you have to be fast. Period. There is no room for a "slow and small" player in professional sports.
- Master the "dirty work." Guys like Deuce Vaughn and Boston Scott stayed in the league because they learned how to pass block and play special teams. They made themselves indispensable.
- Leverage your leverage. Use your height to get under the pads of larger players. In football, the player who stays lowest usually wins the rep.
The smallest player in the NFL might be Deuce Vaughn today, but the door is wide open for the next 5'5" speedster. Size is a data point, but it isn't destiny.
If you're tracking player stats this season, keep a close eye on the snap counts for these "undersized" players. Often, their efficiency ratings—yards per carry or yards per target—are actually higher than their larger counterparts because they only get the ball when the coach has a specific, high-leverage plan for them. You can check the latest weekly roster updates on the official NFL communications site or through team-specific depth charts to see how these players are being utilized in real-time.