Ever wonder what it’s like to stand next to a literal skyscraper in cleats? It happens every Sunday. NFL players are already massive by normal standards, but then there are the "true" giants. Most fans assume the tallest guy is some massive quarterback like Justin Herbert or a hulking defensive end. They aren't even close.
Honestly, the real answer to who is the tallest player in the NFL usually leads you straight to the offensive line.
Right now, the crown belongs to Dan Skipper of the Detroit Lions. He stands at a staggering 6 feet 10 inches. To give you some perspective, that is the same height as NBA legend Kevin Durant. But instead of being a lean basketball player, Skipper weighs over 320 pounds and spends his afternoons trying to stop 260-pound edge rushers from decapitating his quarterback.
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The Current King: Dan Skipper and the 6'10" Club
Dan Skipper isn’t just a tall guy; he’s an anomaly. When you see him on the sideline next to "average" 6-foot-2 players, he looks like he belongs in a different species. Skipper has bounced around the league—he's been with the Cowboys, Patriots, and Texans—but he really found a home in Detroit. Lions fans absolutely adore him.
He’s basically become a cult hero. If you remember the 2023-2024 season, there was that whole controversy with the "reporting eligible" play against the Cowboys. That was Skipper. His height makes him impossible to miss, which is why it was so wild that the refs (allegedly) got him confused with someone else.
But is he the only one? Not exactly.
There are a few other guys nipping at his heels. Caleb Jones, an offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers, is often listed at 6 feet 9 inches. Some scouts swear he’s closer to 6-foot-10 when he’s got his cleats on. Jones is a massive human being, weighing in at 370 pounds. Think about that for a second. That is nearly two full-grown men in one uniform.
Other Active Towering Giants
- Caleb Jones (Packers): 6'9" — A mountain of a man who makes the "frozen tundra" look small.
- Trent Brown (Bengals): 6'8" — One of the most physically imposing tackles of the last decade.
- Orlando Brown Jr. (Bengals): 6'8" — Yes, the Bengals have two of the tallest humans on earth protecting Joe Burrow.
- Jordan Mailata (Eagles): 6'8" — The former rugby star who learned football on the fly and is now a brick wall.
Who Is the Tallest Player in NFL History?
While Skipper is the tallest today, he isn’t the tallest to ever do it. That honor belongs to Richard Sligh.
Sligh was a defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders back in 1967. He stood a full 7 feet tall. Seven feet! In the 60s, that was unheard of. He only played eight games in the AFL before the merger, so his career was a bit of a "blink and you'll miss it" situation. He actually suited up for Super Bowl II, though he didn't get much playing time.
Then there’s Morris Stroud. Stroud played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1969 to 1974. He was 6 feet 10 inches, making him the tallest tight end ever. Imagine trying to cover a guy who is 6-foot-10 and has the wingspan of a small aircraft. He was so tall that he used to stand under the goalposts and try to swat away field goal attempts.
The NFL actually had to create a rule because of him. You can’t "goaltend" field goals anymore because Morris Stroud made it look way too easy.
Why Don't We See More 7-Footers?
You’d think NFL coaches would be scouting every 7-footer on a college basketball bench. I mean, height is an advantage, right? Sorta.
Football is a game of leverage. The old saying goes, "The low man wins." When you’re 6-foot-10, your center of gravity is somewhere up in the stratosphere. It is incredibly hard for a guy that tall to get lower than a 6-foot-2 defensive tackle who is built like a fire hydrant. If a defender gets their hands under a tall lineman’s pads, that tall guy is going backward. Fast.
Also, knees. It’s hard on the joints. Moving 350 pounds on a 6-foot-10 frame at high speeds is a recipe for ACL tears and back issues. That’s why most "giants" in the NFL are offensive tackles. They need the long arms to keep defenders away from the quarterback. They don’t necessarily need to be the most agile guys on the field, just the widest and hardest to get around.
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The Skill Position "Giants"
If you aren't looking at the O-line, where are the tallest guys?
Quarterbacks are getting taller, but they usually cap out around 6-foot-6. Justin Herbert (Chargers) and Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars) are both roughly 6-foot-6. They need that height to see over the massive offensive linemen we just talked about. If you’re a 5-foot-10 quarterback, you’re basically looking at a wall of meat every time you drop back to pass.
Tight ends are the other spot. Donald Parham Jr. is a name you might know. He’s 6-foot-8. When he’s in the red zone, he’s basically a cheat code. You just throw the ball as high as you can and hope he grabs it.
Does Height Actually Help?
Sometimes it’s a curse. Tall players have much larger "strike zones" for defenders. It’s easier to hit them, easier to trip them, and way harder for them to hide. But when a guy like Dan Skipper or Jordan Mailata uses those long arms to punch a defender, it’s like being hit by a swinging log.
It’s all about wingspan. A 6-foot-10 tackle likely has an 80-plus inch wingspan. That means they can touch a defender before the defender can even get close to them. In the NFL, that half-second of contact is the difference between a touchdown and a sack.
The Future of Height in the NFL
We probably won't see a 7-footer become a superstar anytime soon. The game is getting faster. Teams want "hybrid" players who can move laterally. A 7-foot defensive end would likely get "pancaked" by a shorter, stronger guard who gets under his chest.
However, as long as there are quarterbacks to protect, there will be a job for the giants.
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If you want to keep track of these human mountains, keep an eye on the Detroit Lions' roster. Dan Skipper doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and as long as he’s active, he remains the definitive answer to who is the tallest player in the NFL.
To really understand the scale of these athletes, try this:
- Stand next to a standard door frame (usually 6'8").
- Realize that Dan Skipper has to duck just to walk into his own house.
- Imagine that man running at you full speed.
It's a scary thought. The NFL is a league of giants, but even among giants, there are levels to this.
If you’re watching a game this weekend, look for the tackle who looks like he’s standing on a step stool while everyone else is on the ground. That’s your guy. Check the official team rosters on NFL.com or PFF to see if any new rookies have been measured at the combine recently, as heights often get "adjusted" during training camp when the real measuring tapes come out. Otherwise, look for the No. 70 in Detroit—he's the biggest of them all.