Who are the best short QBs in NFL history? Ranking the top 5 shortest QBs in the NFL

Many distinct qualities are necessary for a quarterback to succeed in the NFL. A passer's stature has no fundamental bearing on their precision, arm power, agility, judgment, off-platform abilities, pocket presence, etc. Being 6-foot-5 is only meaningful if you can analyze information, operate through plays, deliver the ball on time, and throw quickly.

But there's a reason this myth about signal callers' height persists and has for many years. In athletics, size still counts.

The ability of a tall passer to look above the shoulders of the lineman creates clearer throwing paths and allows for passing angles that lesser quarterbacks cannot achieve. Here are our picks for the top 5 short quarterbacks from the Super Bowl era.

#5 - Len Dawson, 6’0 ft.

Len Dawson, a legend of the NFL, died in 2022 at 87. He is regarded as a renowned Kansas City Chiefs quarterback.

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Len Dawson in the first round of the 1957 draft. He was among the four Hall of Famers selected in the first eight. His coach, Hank Stram, frequently praised Dawson for his cool, collected attitude to every circumstance. His track record lends support to that assertion. In 1962, 1964, 1966, and 1968, Dawson earned four individual passing awards in the AFL.

He was voted the AFL Player of the Year in 1962 and was chosen for the 1962 and 1966 All-AFL teams. He was chosen to participate in the 1972 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl and six AFL All-Star Games. He hit the target for 2,136 of his 3,741 throws for 28,711 yards and 239 scores throughout his career. Before hanging up his cleats after the 1975 campaign, he also ran for 1,293 yards.

#4 - Sonny Jurgensen, 5'11 ft.

Sonny Jurgensen, who played for Duke as both a quarterback and a defensive back in college, was a terrific player in his football career. Despite his small stature, he succeeded in the NFL thanks to his agility.

Over his career, Jurgensen was selected to five Pro Bowl squads and topped the NFL five times in passing yards, along with a then-record 3,747 yards in the 1967 campaign. Jurgensen starred in the NFL for almost two decades, retiring with a career quarterback rating of 82.62. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.

#3 - Russell Wilson, 5'11 ft.

Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos warms up prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs

The lone quarterback still playing today on our short list is Russell Wilson. Wilson has earned a reputation for being among football's finest dual-threat quarterbacks. Before joining the Denver Broncos, he spent his first decade in the league playing for the Seattle Seahawks.

With nine Pro Bowl appearances and 65% of his games as a starter ending in victories, Russell Wilson is on course to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He is among just five quarterbacks in NFL history to have a career quarterback rating of over 100, and he currently owns the record for the most victories by a quarterback after their first nine seasons.

#2 - Fran Tarkenton, 6'0 ft.

Fran Tarkenton is a former MVP who appeared in three Championship Games and was selected to nine Pro Bowls. He owned almost all the key passing records in the league before he hung up his cleats.

He played out his career when the league was shorter, yet he still managed to win 124 games, tied for the fifth most in NFL history. Given his agility, Tarkenton would have been a good fit in today's game.

#1 - Drew Brees, 6'0 ft.

Quarterbacks coach Drew Brees of the Purdue Boilermakers looks on during the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against the LSU Tigers

Before Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray became household names, Drew Brees was the topic of conversation. The retired New Orleans Saints passer is among the most well-known athletes under six feet tall, despite having left the league two seasons ago.

His height has frequently come up in discourse. Brees was noticeably shorter than other footballers who were six feet tall, despite the Saints' official six-foot listing of him on their record.

According to some, he was around 5'10" or 5'11". Nonetheless, it is evident that his reputation as an NFL quarterback was unaffected by his stature.

He is a Lombardi Trophy winner, just like Russell Wilson. With over 80,000 throwing yards throughout his NFL career that spanned two decades, he is among the top three in the league for passing yards.