Average Vertical Jump by Position: NFL and High School Numbers

The NFL averages, position by position

Defensive backs and receivers jump highest. Cornerbacks averaged 36.1 inches, safeties 35.9 and wide receivers 35.5. They are also the lightest groups in the study: corners averaged 194 pounds, receivers 201 and safeties 208.

Backs and linebackers are next. Running backs averaged 34.8 inches at 215 pounds and linebackers 34.3 at 241. Tight ends (33.5 inches, 254 pounds) and edge rushers (33.3, 268) sit just below them.

Quarterbacks are the outlier. They averaged 31.7 inches while weighing 223 pounds, lighter than tight ends and edge rushers who out-jumped them. So weight is not the whole story.

Interior linemen are lowest. Defensive tackles averaged 29.4 inches at 307 pounds and offensive linemen 28.1 at 313.

One caution on all of these: for its analysis, the study kept only players with a result in every drill it used for each position, and the paper does not say whether these averages come from that group or from everyone who jumped. Either way, they describe players who tested, not every prospect.

Why the positions differ

Body mass. A study of 1,136 players at the NFL Combine found that sprint and jump results were associated with body mass, while change of direction results were not, and recommended adjusting jump scores for body mass when comparing players of very different sizes. A second analysis of the same 1,136 players, by the same lead author, found body mass was most strongly tied to performance among linemen, but that the role of body mass remains unclear. The quarterback numbers above are a reminder that it is one factor, not the only one.

What the position asks for. Writing for NFL.com in 2011, Gil Brandt said the jumps show explosiveness that matters for receivers and defensive backs going up for jump balls, and for linemen trying to move or gain leverage on an opponent. The 2023 study's review of earlier research adds that higher verticals have predicted better NFL results for receivers in several studies, though not all, possibly because a higher jump helps win a contested catch.

Selection. The vertical may count for more at some positions. In the 2023 study's own analysis of receivers, drafted players averaged 35.8 inches and undrafted players 34.4. An older study of 321 players at the 2004 and 2005 Combines found the vertical jump differed significantly between drafted and undrafted skill players (receivers, corners, safeties and running backs). A study can show the gap; it cannot prove the jump caused the draft pick.

High school vs NFL

The high school number comes from a 2019 study of more than 7,000 players at recruiting combines, mostly freshmen to juniors. Its three groups averaged 63 to 64 cm, about 25 inches, with every position pooled together. That makes it a wide comparison: a high school lineman and a high school corner are lined up against the same average.

Position gaps start early. A study of 7,160 high school combine players, freshmen to juniors, found position differences in the vertical jump regardless of grade. Offensive linemen were the tallest and heaviest and generally had the lowest test scores, while defensive backs and receivers were the lightest and scored highest, a pattern that matches the NFL table. Age matters too: in a separate study of 2,327 high school players, 11th and 12th graders on offense jumped higher than younger players and older players on defense produced more power, with the biggest difference between the sophomore and junior years.

So rank yourself against the pooled high school average, then look at your position's NFL average as a long-range reference, not a target for this season. The free calculator does both comparisons. Your position guide shows what 440's plan for your spot trains, from the wide receiver plan to the offensive line plan.

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