One of the lightest NFL players ever among Broncos’ UDFAs
DENVER (BVM) – The record for the lightest NFL player of all time weighs in at 142 pounds.
The Denver Broncos signed 5-foot-8, 142-pound wide receiver BJ West as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft, per Dov Kleiman on Wednesday afternoon.
West now ties with former NFL wide receiver Tony Jones for the record of the lightest NFL player in history, according to Dov Kleiman. Notably, Jack “Soupy” Shapiro (5-foot-1, 119 pounds) is considered the lightest pre-merger NFL player ever, according to Ryan Michael, a BCT Statistician for the Denver Broncos Flagship. Shapiro played for the Staton Island Stapletons in 1929.
In contrast, Aaron Gibson, the heaviest NFL player of all time, measured at 410 pounds.
Unfortunately, just as West’s smaller stature has Broncos fans baffled, so do his underwhelming stats. West played for Alabama State over six seasons, where he tallied a career total of -5 receiving yards:
2019: 0
2020: -4
2021: 0
2022: 0
2023: -1
Maybe it’s West’s fast feet that have Denver coaches interested. While his current sprint times are unclear – his 40-yard dash in high school was a speedy 4.35 seconds, per his recruiting profile. West attended Glenville High School in Ohio, where he recorded 27 receptions, 518 yards and six touchdowns. He also returned five kicks for 127 yards.
It’s clear that West has more of a future as a kick returner than a wide receiver in the NFL. Regardless, he’s got a lot to prove heading into training camp for the 2024 season.
