In your opinion, what’s the hardest position?

[HereComesTheReignAgain]

Reverse pile driver.  

[Rc2catch]

I would have to throw my vote at tight ends. Learning the blocking assignments and being good at it, then having to learn route trees and be able to catch and take hits. Lot of work and wear and tear 

[JMF2006]

Missionary....I have to do all the work  

 

QB in football  

[Leonitas]

From the back.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

It's DT.  And it's not even close.  Let me present my case. I have two arguments.  The first - how many truly elite players are a each position?  The second - time to development?

 

Who is the top QB in the NFL?  Mahomes, Rodgers, Wilson, Allen, Brady?  You could make a case for any of them and that leaves out future HOF'r Roethlisberger. 

Who is the top DT in the league - Aaron Donald.  No argument.

 

Some rookie QBs can play well from day 1. Routine high draft pick CBs routinely start right away.  Defensive tackles often take years to develop and very few ever achieve elite status.  Rookie DT's even in the SEC are playing against far inferior talent on the opposing OL.  That's not the case in the NFL.  In college they could physically dominate many if not all their opponents.  In the NFL they are playing against real men, much bigger, faster, and more agile than anything they would routinely face in college.  Their 21 year old bodies aren't yet used to the physicality of the competition.  

 

 

[Figster]

If by hardest you mean relative to wear and tear on the body and having to block men twice their size. RB's from a working standpoint have a very hard job IMO.

Edited September 4, 2021 by Figster

[Sherlock Holmes]

Waterboy...

 

[Capco]

I tend to think that the "hardest" positions are the positions with the most demanding expectations placed on the respective individual.  However, it is important to note that those demands are a function of the scheme in question.  Let me provide a few illustrative examples.

1. Nose Tackle (NT) in a traditional, 2-gap 3-4 defensive scheme.  Imo, this is probably the hardest position in football, as they are expected to regularly take on a guard and the center and still make occasional plays in the running game to their left and right (i.e., two gaps).  There are maybe a handful of guys in the league at any one time that can fulfill the demands of a traditional NT.  
2. "Shutdown" Cornerback (CB) #1 in a man-press pass defensive scheme.  By the very nature of the game, CBs are inherently at a disadvantage since they are usually reacting to the wide receivers (WRs) they are covering.  This automatically puts WRs a step ahead of the CBs covering them.  Schemes that rely heavily on their #1 CB shutting down most opposing teams' #1 WR "on an island" demand quite a bit out of these CBs, and again there are only a handful of guys in the league at any one time that fit the bill.  
3. Quarterback (QB) in a West Coast offensive scheme.  The West Coast offense is notorious for being extremely demanding on the QB, and that is by design.  The vast play calling verbiage; the complexity and timing of the route combinations; and the precise, quick decision-making required from the QB all combine for making this offense very difficult for more traditional QBs to run.  

 

On the other hand, these same three positions are not as "hard" in different schemes.  

1. Defensive Tackle (DT) in a 1-gap 4-3 defensive scheme.  Here, the DT is only responsible for one gap on a given play; they are also less likely to encounter double teams since there are usually four down linemen.  This allows the DTs in these schemes be more aggressive and less reactionary.  
2. CB in a Cover 2 defensive scheme.  Unlike the previous CB example, CBs in a Cover 2 can expect help over the top on the majority of passing plays, and this is again by design.  They also aren't expected to be as athletic and focus more on not giving up the big play as opposed to covering more aggressively.  Teams utilizing this scheme can get away with employing only average CBs if they have athletic safeties and a good front four.  
3. QB in an Erhardt-Perkins offensive scheme.  This offense is known for being more QB-friendly than a West Coast offense.  Playbook terminology is more streamlined; eligible receivers are required to know all the routes on a given play; and route combinations don't change for the QB during motion since the eligible receivers are supposed to change their routes depending on where players are being motioned to.  Also, there are relatively fewer plays to learn as these same plays are run out of multiple formations, thereby potentially confusing the defense from the "different looks" given while making it easier on the QB from the simplicity of route combinations.  

Edited September 4, 2021 by Capco

[sirebors]

Mentally QB. Nothing compares. 

 

Physically?   I'd much rather be a CB busting my ankles trying to figure out which way a spindly WR is going to turn, versus being a RB getting smashed by players 50 to 100 lbs heavier than me every single play. I'll take trying to stay with Diggs vs. getting blasted by Ray Lewis every play. Give me broke ankles over CTE any day. 

[BillsShredder83]

1 hour ago, Leonitas said:

From the back.

Tilt their hips. The better you can see the wrong hole, the better you can get to the right hole.

 

Talking about RBs here of course

Edited September 4, 2021 by BillsShredder83

[Richard Noggin]

Reverse cowgirl. 

 

Lose focus and someone could get hurt.

 

On the football field, otherwise, I'd rank 'em: 

 

QB

CB

OT

WR

DT

et cetera

 

So many difficult duties on an NFL football field, but it's difficult to argue with the top 2 or 3 listed here.

[unbillievable]

Special teams gunner

You only need to make 10 plays a year to be an all pro, but fans still want you cut from the team every year.

[machine gun kelly]

7 hours ago, K-9 said:

Kama sutra #53. Really tough on the lower back and hamstrings. But totally worth the effort.

Didn’t you’re mom ever tell you looking at those sites makes you go blind. 🤩😇🦬

 

seriously, It’s not even close in the QB.  Second would definitely would be the CB.

[HOUSE]

TE, some teams can't even find one

[Buffalo Junction]

The craziest position in the NFL no longer exists. Older fans will remember the…. “wedge buster”.

 

Nothing quite the same as running full speed for 30-40 yards, turning yourself into a psycho bowling ball, barreling into 3-5 240-280 pounders. The reward for success? Barreling into second flesh wall 20 yards behind that one. 
 

Outside of that, gotta go with QB due to the mental aspect coupled with having a target on your back every play. 

[NI Bills Fan]

Long Snapper*

 

* but only if you've spent your whole life trying to be a Defensive End.

[That's No Moon]

Middle of the human centipede.

[RobbRiddick]

9 hours ago, K-9 said:

Kama sutra #53. Really tough on the lower back and hamstrings. But totally worth the effort.

 

As soon as I read the title I wondered how long it would take - 10th reply was a little longer than I had money on lol

[Draconator]

Going off the beaten path, I'm saying kicker. You basically do next to nothing all game, and you are called on to perform at your best, you're expected to be successful when it matters to the team the most. Make the kick and you're praised. Miss the kick and you're run out of town or forever remembered (Norwood). 

 

Hardest position in sports? Goalie. You're standing on 2 razor blades for 60 minutes plus, and expected to move from side to side on said razor blades effortlessly to stop a disc of vulcanized rubber traveling at you at 90 mph plus. 

[BarleyNY]

10 hours ago, 17islongenough said:

Qb.  It's the hardest position in sports

This is the correct answer - and it’s not even close.  CB probably is second in football.