NFL players tend to be somewhat large.

No, really! I'm not making this up! If you stand the average NFL player and the average jockey next to each other, the average NFL player will EAT the average jockey.  

Okay, so maybe I made that part up - but you get my point. They tend to be pretty big guys, and that size helps them to be successful for a number of reasons. For some, they simply take up more space. For others, that size tells a story of incredible power. For many, they are able to take a pounding play after play, and get up again for the next one.

Except running backs.

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For running backs, with the possible exception of fullbacks, extra height can be a real detriment to their performance. A running back needs a nice, low center of gravity. This helps him make sharp cuts, keep his balance as he bounces off defenders, and compact his body to take the least amount of damage possible from the inevitable crushing blow.

Assuming you agree with me thus far, it should come as no surprise that there is a decided shortage of height at the RB position in the NFL.

Using the stats list for 2006 on NFL.com, there are 147 running backs listed with statistics for the season. Of those, 11 are taller than 6'1". Only two of the eleven actually carried any fantasy value whatsoever last season - the New York Giants' Brandon Jacobs (6'4"), and St Louis Rams' Steven Jackson (6'2"). When you consider that Jacobs' value came only in scoring touchdowns and not from running between the goal lines (he averaged only 28.2 yards per game), the only running back over 6'1" you would likely have consistently started last year is Steven Jackson.

That's not just a coincidence. Taller runners have tended to get banged up with alarming frequency. Even Steven Jackson, who is currently a golden boy in fantasy drafts after managing to play in all 16 games last season has struggled with numerous injuries in his short three-year career. While, as previously noted, he made it through 2006 relatively unscathed, he has missed practice and/or game time due to injuries to his knee, ribs, chest, hip (more than once), foot, and ankle. 

And he's just 6'2". Several Hall Of Fame runners are the same height as Jackson (proving that there are exceptions to any rule of thumb), but the trend in the NFL is clearly to go with much smaller guys. Eddie George, at 6'3", was a workhorse who rarely missed any time. But his successor, Chris Brown (also 6'3"), has been virtually made of glass. 

Eric Dickerson (6'3") told the Tennessean a few years back that he believes the trend toward smaller backs is more related to the fact that high school coaches designate the taller guys to be receivers or linebackers. His success would seem to indicate that he may be correct, until you look at his career and realize that he missed more than his share of playing time.

Jim Brown, Marcus Allen, and Franco Harris, all 6'2", also have busts in Canton testifying to the possibility of success among runners taller than 6'1". However, only Jim Brown can claim that he didn't miss at least a game or two in nearly half of his seasons. 

So what are the measurements of the successful 2006 running back? The following table outlines the trend toward smaller, lighter frames as the yards/game statistic increases. 

Keep in mind that fullbacks are included in the table, so they will tend to give a little more weight, and often some more height to the Overall and, to a lesser extent, the Top-100 categories.  

70.40 inches is 5 feet, 10.4 inches. 

Of course, this is an equal, and perhaps even greater indictment against runners smaller than 5'9", who so very rarely see any success in the NFL. Warrick Dunn is one of the few to become a regular starter, and Maurice Jones-Drew had an impressive season on limited opportunities last year with 13 touchdowns and 5.7 yard per carry average.

No measure of height is an indicator of likely success. However, there is a fairly significant red flag waving when a runner is either too tall, or too short to fall into the "prototypical" range of NFL running backs.  

I'll leave you with a little extra information to use as you see fit - the 2007 draft class. 

Adrian Peterson and Michael Bush are both 6'2".

Both missed significant portions of their college careers due to injury, and bring those injury concerns to their rookie seasons in the NFL.

Just something to keep in mind.