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Home / Sport

NFL's biggest ever player? Prospect weighs 184kg

Herald online
21 Mar, 2016 05:24 PM4 mins to read

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The 23-year-old tips the scales at an insane 184kg - and that's after he dropped more than 9kg during the recent NCAA college football season. That's right, he was 193kg and he actually hit the 200kg mark when he used to step out onto the field in pads and gear.

Mammoths must get together and make fun of how heavy LaQuan McGowan is.

In a league filled with creatures from the deep, Baylor tight end McGowan is about to set a new record as the heaviest player ever drafted into the NFL.

Brace yourself for these numbers.

The 23-year-old tips the scales at an insane 184kg - and that's after he dropped more than 9kg during the recent NCAA college football season. That's right, he was 193kg and he actually hit the 200kg mark when he used to step out onto the field in pads and gear.

The 2.01m unit has regularly been told to stop lifting weights because he already has all the muscle mass he'll ever need - and he puts on weight incredibly quickly when he's pumping iron.

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Before he stopped lifting, McGowan would do regular bench press sets lifting 220kg.
His size 18 shoes are three sizes too small.

28 stone.
6-foot-6.

Could we see LaQuan McGowan in the NFL?https://t.co/j1UhU368bf

— NFL UK (@NFLUK) March 18, 2016

Even in a league filled with the largest athletes in the world, the NFL has never seen anything like LaQuan McGowan.

"I don't have to worry about what I say about him, because no one else has got anybody like him," Baylor coach Art Briles told FOXSports.com of McGowan.

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"He's the most unique football player in the United States with his combination of size and athletic skill.

"He's the most intriguing athlete I've ever been around."

That's right, he also has some serious skills to match his freakish frame.

How else to you earn a nickname like "The Annihilator"?

Discover more

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Football: Academy kid sinks Man City

21 Mar 07:33 PM

The truly unique thing about McGowan is that he's not a natural offensive lineman or defensive lineman. He plays as a running and receiving option on offence. If you put the ball near him, he'll catch it.

McGowan was blessed with freakish skills to match that famous frame.

"His hands are about as big as my leg, so I can pretty much put it wherever, and he can snag it out of the air," Baylor quarterback Seth Russell said.

Despite this, McGowan struggled to get serious game time for Baylor this season.

Many experts have even predicted he won't get selected in the 2016 NFL draft, to be held in Chicago on April 30.

A lot of opinions, however, have changed since McGowan was put through his paces at a draft camp pro-day in Texas this week - and broke records.

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He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.41 seconds.

He had a 71cm vertical leap.

He blasted 30 reps of 102kg on the bench press.

NFL.com draft analyst Gil Brandt wrote McGowan's biggest moment came when he stepped on the scales.

"For a man of this size to put up these kind of numbers is really impressive," he said.
"McGowan has to be the biggest prospect we've ever had at a pro day."

The heaviest human to ever play in the NFL is Detroit's offensive tackle Aaron Gibson, who reportedly topped the scales at 186kg.

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Gibson, however, weighed just 175kg when he was drafted into the NFL with a first round pick in the 1999 NFL Draft.

Good luck to any team that wants to take a punt on McGowan.

More importantly, good luck for any future teammate he has.

Throughout his college career, McGowan has had a strictly "no contact" tag forbidding him from tackling his teammates during pre-season training - it's for their own protection.

He's used to standing out.

Born and raised in a crime-riddled suburb in Dallas, McGowan became a high school star at Cal Farley's Boy Ranch, a non-profit boarding school for at-risk youth.

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And of course, he stands out on campus.

"People go, 'Oh my god, he's 400 pounds!' I don't want to be 400 pounds,"McGowan told ESPN.

"I'm working towards not being 400 pounds.

"I guess you could say God kind of blessed me to be 400 pounds. Either I'm not doing something right when I feel like I'm doing it right - and I'm working with coaches and nutritionists to try to lose this weight.

"I keep stepping on that scale and I keep seeing 400. I feel like there's a reason behind it."
This week's pro-day is not the first time McGowan has captured headlines.

He's also a viral star.

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He's featured in two trick-play touchdowns that will go down in Baylor Football folklore.

He's adamant those two videos will not be the last items on his highlights reel.

"We're going to have many more proud moments," he said.

- news.com.au

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