An American football team is composed of athletes with various physiological characteristics, largely because of different position-specific demands.
ShapeRecent data evaluating differences in football players across position, level (i.e., collegiate vs. professional), and ability (i.e., drafted vs. undrafted) have expanded in an effort to better understand the characteristics of a successful elite athlete, as well as identify potential risk for disease. Body size and composition have been shown to be primary contributors to performance (23). Additionally, most football athletes have shown a trend toward increasing body mass, with a concomitant increase in fat-free mass (19). Evaluating baseline differences across position may be useful to reference if a player suffers an injury, gains or loses weight, or declines in performance. Measurement of body composition and the quality of the muscle may allow for a better identification of current and future health risks in these athletes. A focus on the collegiate football athlete is important, as many of these players will not go on to play professionally, and those who do have an average career length of 3.5 years, according to the National Football League (NFL) Communications