Baylor’s 405-pound LaQuan McGowan could be heaviest player ever drafted

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Baylor’s LaQuan McGowan has a chance to be the heaviest player ever selected in the NFL draft.

The 6-foot-6 McGowan weighed in at 405 pounds at Baylor’s Pro Day last week, and longtime NFL personnel man Gil Brandt says that’s the heaviest player ever weighed at any Pro Day.

The heaviest player in NFL history was former Lions offensive tackle Aaron Gibson, whose listed weight got as high as 410 during his playing career. But Gibson weighed in at a svelte 386 at the 1999 Scouting Combine, so he was lighter when he entered the league than McGowan is now.

It’s unclear, however, whether McGowan will be drafted. He played tight end in Baylor’s gadget-filled offense, but NFL teams would likely see him more as an offensive lineman. McGowan wasn’t invited to the Combine, which suggests that most personnel people don’t see him as a big-time prospect. He’s probably a long shot to make an NFL roster, but it will be fun to see the big guy try.

80 responses to “Baylor’s 405-pound LaQuan McGowan could be heaviest player ever drafted

  1. I understand the novelty but you kind of have to worry about the guys health. 405 lbs in the grueling NFL could be really dangerous. Hopefully the team that drafts him encourages him to lose a few lbs.

  2. I just feel bad for the rookie that has to room with this guy during training camp. Particularly after a night out at the local Mexican establishment.

  3. That weight is ridiculous and super unhealthy. That being said, I would love to see him catch a weak side screen where a 180-lb CB or two is the only thing separating him from the end zone.

  4. If you want him to play tackle, he’d have to drop 80 lbs. That’s not a trivial task at any size, especially for an elite athlete. He can’t just diet or he’ll lose strength. He has to be very controlled in how he diets and how he exercises (more than just your typical strength and conditioning drills).

    You also have to worry about him ballooning at his size. He could be 500 a lot easier than 320.

  5. He got moved to TE because he was a terrible o-lineman at Baylor who couldn’t crack the starting line-up so they used him in 2 TE heavy packages (no pun intended). There isn’t a DE in the NFL who wouldn’t abuse this guy, he’s not quick enough to play at the next level.

  6. He ordered my diner’s lamb burger & didn’t even want us to shear off the wool.

  7. Michael Jasper was 450 lbs before he was drafted. I know he was told he needed to lose weight and is officially listed at 375, but I’m not sure what he weighed at the time of the draft.

  8. No matter the height, 300 lbs is obese. Look at Kevin Garnett. He’s 7′ and under 250 lbs. Granted the guy’s a string bean but for anyone to get over 275 there has to me some sort of attempt at it or a serious mental defect.

  9. Considering all of the conditioniong and practices, its pretty amazng to even carry anything near 405

  10. Word around the league is that the packers want this guy bad.

    Lacy hasn’t panned out and this guy looks promising.

    Stay tuned.

  11. Oh….so that’s what happened to the “Hercules, Hercules” kid in the Nutty Professor.

  12. He was a terrible o-lineman at Baylor that’s y he played TE but u could put him at 1-Tech on the DL maybe he could do something there?! He is pretty quick for being 405lb I would still make him loose atleast 40-60lbs but DL might be best spot for him!!

  13. Tight end LaQuan McGowan — 6-foot-6 1/8, 405 pounds — ran the 40-yard dash in 5.55 and 5.41 seconds. He had a 24-inch vertical jump and 8-foot-2 broad jump. He did the 20-yard short shuttle in 5.47 seconds and the three-cone drill in 8.25 seconds. He also performed 30 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. For a man of this size to put up these kind of numbers is really impressive!

  14. wizahdry says:
    Mar 20, 2016 8:18 AM
    I thought Refrigeator Perry was heavier than 405 lbs

    Lordy. Kids are too lazy to even google anymore.

  15. I’d move him to a NT in the 3-4 defense. He would eat up a ton of space up the middle.

    ———————————————————————
    He’d eat up a ton of other things too.

  16. He has one of those new talking scales and when it gets on it , it says “get off me.”

  17. Just looked up his game logs. This kid is not an NFL football player. In three full seasons at Baylor he played in a total of that number he participated in 6 plays ??? His numbers for the combine are meaningless. This kid couldn’t play a full quarter in the NFL without dropping to the turf.

  18. All you trolls posting about the weight of
    Wisconsin women most likely have never been in Wisconsin.

    The more apt comparison would be to women south of the Mason-Dixon line who shop at Walmart. Baylor isn’t exactly in the northern part of the U.S.

    You can look it up.

  19. cribbage12 says:
    Mar 20, 2016 2:30 PM
    He’d be the #1 DB on the Vikes.
    ——
    That was weak packer fan.

    If anything, he wouldn’t leave Fitzgerald uncovered so he would be an instant upgrade for the packers.

  20. beedubyatoo says:
    Mar 20, 2016 2:28 PM
    All you trolls posting about the weight of
    Wisconsin women most likely have never been in Wisconsin.

    The more apt comparison would be to women south of the Mason-Dixon line who shop at Walmart. Baylor isn’t exactly in the northern part of the U.S.

    You can look it up.
    ————————————

    Unfortunately, I have to travel there for work quite frequently and I can assure everyone who hasn’t been there that sometimes stereotypes exist for a good reason.

  21. f1restarter says:
    Mar 20, 2016 3:42 PM
    The Vikings might draft him high.

    Not to play football, but to plug up that hole in their new stadium roof.
    —-
    Packer fans are STILL trying.

    Don’t they know they’re the joke of the league!?

  22. @mongo3401
    If the NFL tells teams that they can’t sign someone because of their weight, the class-action suit that will follow will put them out of business. They will allow this young man and whatever team decides they may want him to assume the risk, same as any other player with a health concern.
    My biggest worry for this guy is life after football. You see it all the time with these huge players; their lives get very unhealthy after transitioning to having minimal physical training, and often lead short lived with low quality. A smart one was Antone Davis, who shed enough weight to make another adult on ‘The Biggest Loser’, but I’ll bet he’s the exception.

  23. He’s still getting older. Growing. Size is an asset for a lineman if he can move it. Probably worth a 4th rounder.

  24. It’s too bad that J Lorenzen already has the Pillsbury Dough Boy handle…

    On a serious note, is there a scenario where the NFL would put a weight maximum in place? We all saw what happened with Big Fat Siragusa fell on Gannon. If this kid falls on some slot WR that weights 180, he’s gonna get crushed. Also, if the NFL is concerned about head trauma, how about this kid running down the field, somebody going low to tackle him and taking a knee to the head?

  25. Didn’t know that Fat Albert was into football. Of course, we didn’t know that Fat Albert’s voice was into raping drugged women either.

  26. This guy could fart and burp and lose 20lbs. Just get it down to 370 and I bet he’d make an impact. The Bills tried some 500 lb guy a few years back. they told him if he lost 100 lbs they’de give him a try. He didn’t make the team. I was rooting for him

  27. I remember a dude a year or two ago for Ole Miss who was listed at 410 but IIRC he was also 6’8 or 6’9. He never got invited to a training camp as far as I know but he did have a video clip go viral of him collapsing (literally) a metal chair on the sideline.

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