The Mind-Boggling Number Of Calories An NFL Lineman Typically Eats Every Day

One thing never heard in an NFL locker room: "Oh, that has sooo many carbs!" Football players have to take in a ton of calories each day to provide enough fuel to drive those muscles. While kickers tend to be a little leaner than their teammates, the linemen tend to be much more beefy.

The offensive linemen have to basically act like a wall to protect the quarterback, and these guys tend to be well over 300 pounds. The defensive line needs to be strong to power past the opposing team's offensive line. They're a little leaner but still can reach up to 300 pounds. To sustain their size, an NFL lineman might need to consume up to 5,000 calories a day.

(The number of calories the average American eats might surprise you.)

Of course, you probably won't see professional football players (and even some college players) counting calories to reach their goals. Professional football teams recruit sports dietitians to plan their nutritional needs so they show up at each game with plenty of power and energy to sustain all four quarters. And no, it's not junk food. Let's look at what a lineman might eat in a day compared to quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts.

Are you an intermittent faster? You might be skipping out on the early carbs and protein needed to sustain your morning workout. According to 49ers.com, a typical lineman from the San Francisco 49ers might start the day with three eggs, some egg whites, and oatmeal topped with almonds. Breakfast also includes some vitamin C from blueberries and orange juice. That's almost 900 calories already.

Lunch could be salmon over mixed greens and brown rice, topped with avocado, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. For a little calcium, they might have a glass of chocolate milk. Lunch totals 1,079 calories. An afternoon snack includes cottage cheese, a banana, and some almonds to add another 462 calories. Just lunch and a snack might be enough for someone on a diet, right?

Dinner isn't that huge for an NFL player. Dinner might be a chicken breast, sweet potato, and mixed vegetables. For extra veggies, players might get a Naked Green Machine juice. That dinner is 833 calories, which is less than a single cheeseburger from Five Guys (and with more nutrition).

Those four meals total 3,241 calories of healthy food. But that's not enough. Those NFL players trying to keep their size get two peanut butter chocolate smoothies — one later in the morning and one before bed. This smoothie has two scoops of whey protein, chocolate milk, peanut butter, avocado, and olive oil. Each smoothie has 871 calories, which totals 4,983 calories if you've been keeping score.

A quarterback's job is much different than an offensive or defensive lineman's, so the quarterback must be quick and strong. Quarterbacks need to build muscle through strength training, but not too much muscle, so they can quickly change direction and run at top speed. 

Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes weighs in at 225 pounds, so you won't see him sucking down an 800-calorie smoothie unless it's the offseason. However, he'll feast on a grilled chicken sandwich before games, and yes, he gets french fries (per Us Weekly). Leslie Bonci, who consults the Kansas City Chiefs on nutrition, says that players like Mahomes don't like to eat much before games. At the most, Mahomes might eat up to 3,000 calories a day (per Fox4 Kansas City).

Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is a little more strict about his diet. His 220-pound frame says "no" to sugary drinks and fuels up on plenty of greens, water, and protein. Hurts needs his protein when he hits the weight room. He can deadlift 600 pounds and could squat 450 pounds when he was at the University of Alabama (via Stylecaster). He told GQ that his weakness is Louisiana Hot Sauce, which he'll put on many of his foods.