Heaviest NFL players of all time: Where Mekhi Becton, Refrigerator Perry, Aaron Gibson and other behemoths rank

NFL teams look for size, strength and skill in players, and those traits are not all independent of each other. 

Size can impact strength, just as strength can impact size. Size and strength can help players take their skills to the next level. Size can't be taught, though. Some of the most skilled athletes at the college level don't become premier prospects simply because their size would be a disadvantage at the NFL level. 

Other players might not perform up to their potential at the collegiate level but become high draft picks because they have the requisite size to go up against NFL players. At some positions more than others, size truly does matter. 

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Here's a look at the heaviest players in NFL history, from Aaron Gibson to William "Refrigerator" Perry. 

Who are the heaviest NFL players of all time?

Let's take a closer look at the heaviest players to ever set foot on the NFL gridiron. 

Aaron Gibson, OT (410 lbs)

Gibson was listed as 375 pounds for a portion of his career, but he officially weighed in at 410 pounds while with the Cowboys in 2002, making him the NFL's all-time heaviest player.

The Lions selected Gibson No. 27 overall out of Wisconsin in 2000, though he lasted less than two seasons in Detroit. Injuries hampered his time with the Lions and Cowboys, though Gibson was able to start a full 16 games for the Bears in 2003 before playing his final season in 2004.

Gibson grew up poor with little food readily available to him, but he started overeating during his time at Wisconsin. Still in the mindset that he had to eat all he could in fear of going hungry again, Gibson ate between "20,000 to 30,000 calories each day" in college.

Gibson battled depression after injuries ended his career and weighed as much as 480 pounds, but he has since slimmed down considerably. 

Bryant McKinnie, OT (386 lbs)

McKinnie spent 12 seasons in the NFL, including nine with the Vikings from 2002-2010, earning one Pro Bowl selection and winning a Super Bowl as a reserve with the Ravens. He also struggled with his weight, ultimately leading to his release in Minnesota during training camp in 2011.

While a report indicated McKinnie showed up to camp in 2011 weighing 400 pounds, he clarified that he weighed in at 386 — still the second-highest figure in NFL history.

Daniel Faalele, OG (384 lbs)

Faalele entered the NFL at 384 pounds in 2022 and was later listed by the Ravens as 380 pounds. The fourth-round pick out of Minnesota stands at 6-8, making him one of the biggest players in NFL history by every measure, and he emerged as a 17-game starter for Baltimore after moving to guard in 2024.

William 'Refrigerator' Perry, DT (382 lbs)

Perry, whose highest "unconfirmed" playing weight was 382 pounds, earned the nickname, "Refrigerator," during his 10-year NFL career, and it's not hard to see why.

Perry is the heaviest non-offensive lineman in NFL history despite only standing at 6-foot-2, using his size to emerge as a major presence on the Bears' defensive line in the late 1980s and early 1990s after winning the Super Bowl as a rookie. The Bears even used Perry's size to their advantage on offense at times, including a touchdown run in Super Bowl 20 against the Patriots. Perry also gained notoriety for a singing role in the Bears' iconic "Super Bowl Shuffle" music video recorded in 1985.

After football, Perry's size helped sustain his celebrity status. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame largely due to his participation in a battle royal at WrestleMania 2 that included other NFL players like Russ Francis, Bill Fralic and others. He also happened to be a part of the most memorable part of that battle royal. He was eliminated by WWE wrestler Big John Studd, but after being eliminated, The Fridge pulled Studd out over the top rope as well, eliminating his new rival. And he even participated as a celebrity contestant in the 2003 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. 

Trent Brown, OT (380 lbs)

Brown was the heaviest player at the 2015 NFL Combine at 355 pounds, and his playing weight ballooned to 380 after he emerged as a starter in the NFL. Brown spent the first decade of his career with four different teams, including two stints with the Patriots, earning his only Pro Bowl selection with the Raiders in 2019.

A massive presence at 6-foot-8, Brown signed with the Texans following Houston's trade of Laremy Tunsil in 2025.

Mike Williams, OT (375 lbs)

There have actually been eight players named Mike Williams in NFL history, but 2002 No. 4 overall pick Mike Williams is easily the heaviest of the bunch.

Williams weighed in at 375 pounds at the 2002 NFL Combine, and his size impressed the Bills enough to take him near the top of the draft. While he started 50 games for Buffalo over his first three seasons, he struggled to emerge as the stalwart the franchise was hoping he would become.

Williams fell out of the NFL after 2006, gained weight, lost it while attempting a comeback and actually did start eight more games with Washington in 2009, but he missed the entire 2010 season due to injury and never played again. 

Ted Washington, DT (375 lbs)

Washington enjoyed a long and successful career as a defensive tackle, spending 17 seasons in the NFL from 1991-2007 and earning four Pro Bowl selections. A bit of a journeyman after spending time with seven teams, Washington had some of his most successful seasons as a run-stuffer on the Bills' defense in the late 1990s, making 204 NFL starts overall.

Dawand Jones, OT (374 pounds)

Jones was considered a fringe first-round prospect for much of the pre-draft process in 2023, but he slipped all the way to the fourth round, reportedly due to his weight and concerns about his commitment to football. Jones made 17 starts over his first two NFL seasons, dealing with injuries but giving the Browns a capable fill-in when established starters were banged up. 

Leonard Davis, OG (370 pounds)

Davis was the No. 2 pick of the 2001 draft by the Cardinals and spent six seasons in Arizona before earning three consecutive Pro Bowl selections with the Cowboys. Davis made 155 starts over 11 seasons and played his final season with the 49ers in 2012.

Caleb Jones, OT (370 pounds)

Jones, an Indiana product, spent two seasons with the Packers from 2022-23, appearing in just one game, but he weighs in as one of the heaviest NFL players at 370 pounds. At 6-foot-9, Jones is also one of the tallest players in NFL history despite making such a brief appearance on the field. 

Honorable mentions

Height is a massive factor in an individual's weight, so there are plenty of players who might appear heavier than some listed above but aren't quite as heavy because they just aren't tall enough. Former Packers DT B.J. Raji, who is 6-2 but weighed 337 pounds at the NFL Combine in 2009, is one example.

T.J. Barnes (369 lbs), T'Vondre Sweat (366 lbs), Jordan Mailata (365 lbs), Mekhi Becton (364 lbs) and Shawn Johnson (364 lbs) all come close to cracking the top 10, while former Cowboys OG Nate Newton weighed in at 325-335 pounds during his playing career but became one of the heaviest former players when he ballooned to 401 pounds after retirement; he has since slimmed down dramatically. 

Former Rams OT Terrell Brown measured in at 6-foot-10 and 403 pounds at training camp in 2013, but he didn't make the team's roster. Former Bills DT Michael Jasper once weighed in at 394 pounds to start training camp before slimming down to 375, but he never appeared in an NFL game. 

Does size translate to success in the NFL?

Size absolutely matters in the NFL, but if the list of heaviest players in NFL history is any indication, it's far from everything. Simply being huge isn't enough to make any player an elite offensive tackle, while weight can hamper speed at other positions where running is critical. 

Of the top 10 heaviest players in NFL history, some reached Pro Bowls, some flamed out despite high expectations and others just weren't considered high-level prospects to begin with. Size can be an asset, but it almost always needs to be combined with a certain level of skill. 

That doesn't mean NFL teams don't follow patterns when judging draft prospects. Some high-level collegiate players are passed over because teams question whether they will be able to match up physically with bigger, stronger players. Some are considered "tweeners," versatile players who can fit into multiple position groups but might not have the size to excel at one in particular.

Sometimes, those players prove talent evaluators wrong. Former Rams DT Aaron Donald was ridiculously productive in college, but he slid to the No. 13 pick in the 2014 draft largely because of height concerns. He quickly proved those concerns were overblown, but some NFL front offices might tell you Donald is the exception to the rule. 

Where are they now? The heaviest NFL players after retirement

It's common for former offensive or defensive linemen who rely on their weight in the NFL to slim down after retirement, and that's certainly true for a few of the heaviest players of all-time.

As of 2018, Aaron Gibson had dropped from a peak weight of 480 pounds to 290, getting many of his vitals back in the somewhat normal ranges. While most other players who weighed 370 pounds or more have kept a low profile since retiring, other large offensive linemen, including Joe Thomas, Marshal Yanda and Matt Birk, have shown off massive weight loss since stepping away from the NFL. 

Marshal Yanda’s playing weight was 305 to 310 pounds. He was down to about 260 in March. Today, he told the @PatMcAfeeShow that he’s at 248. pic.twitter.com/NwO5ouWCz5

Others have not been as successful. William "Refrigerator" Perry was believed to weigh well over 400 pounds in 2016 and struggled to get around on his own. He hasn't been seen publicly much at all since, but when he has, he's used a wheelchair. 

Highlights of heaviest NFL players

Perry's Super Bowl touchdown against the Patriots might go down as the best big man play in NFL history simply because of the stakes. Perry is the heaviest player to ever score a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

Speaking of touchdowns, Faalale scored a memorable big man touchdown in the 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl while at Minnesota.

Before he became the NFL's all-time heaviest player, Gibson was a one-man wrecking crew at Wisconsin.

Becton broke out with the Eagles in 2024, but he got off to a hot start with the Jets in 2020 before injuries and conditioning issues derailed his tenure in New York. Here are some of his best blocks from his rookie season.