NBA Players That Could Play In The NFL
Austin Rivers recently sparked a debate by saying that he could pull 30 guys from the NBA to play in the NFL, or something along those lines. Naturally, that sparked a debate online between football and basketball players and fans everywhere. While it is unlikely that either athlete could smoothly transition to the other league, it’s certainly a fun debate to have. What NBA players could make the move to the NFL?
Lebron James, TE
Let’s get the easy one out of the way. Lebron James could probably play a bunch of places on an NFL field like wide receiver or quarterback, tight end would likely be where he could make his money. He might struggle in the blocking facet of the game, but we see tight ends that are successful without it.
James could be a quarterback’s dream tight end standing at six-foot-nine and 250 pounds. He would be a big target for defenders to hit, but he might be harder to take down than they’d think and he’d be deceptively fast. We know he was good as a high school football player too.
Russell Westbrook, LB
Sure, Russell Westbrook is getting older and slower than he once was, but at his peak and still today, he could have a chance to play linebacker in the NFL. Westbrook could probably even play corner or safety if he wanted to. He stands at six-foot-four and 200 pounds. He was one of the fastest players in the NBA for years and likely still is closer to the top of that list.
Westbrook would likely excel at getting downhill and getting to the quarterback or ball carrier. He’d have a lot of fun with it. He has a stout build too, so he can probably lay a hit. Imagine pairing him up with a guy like Roquan Smith or Fred Warner?
Luka Doncic, QB
There are probably a couple of point guards around the league that could double as an NFL quarterback, but Luka Doncic came to mind first. The guy plays with a different level of court awareness and attention to detail that feels like quarterback-level stuff.
Doncic stands at six-foot-seven and 230 pounds, so he is already close to the tallest quarterback in NFL history, Dan McGwire standing at six-foot-eight. He might even have a little bit of Ben Roethlisberger in him the way he doesn’t appear to be the most in-shape guy but he can move like jello when he needs to.
Anthony Edwards, WR
This feels like a no-brainer as well, but Anthony Edwards could compete in the NFL as a wide receiver. He’s 6’4 and we’ve seen his speed on display and his ability to jump out of the gym.
Edwards would probably have a lot of fun out there mossing defenders and celebrating touchdowns. He has even told us before that he is good at every port he has tried, so maybe theres something to this. It feels like his build could translate to a Justin Jefferson type of talent in the NFL.
Kyle Lowry, RB
Standing at six feet tall and 196 pounds with his stout build, it makes sense that Kyle Lowry could be a nice little power back in the NFL. Throughout his long NBA career, Lowry has never shied away from taking charges or contact so we know he is a gritty guy. All the time he’s spent in Philadelphia will certainly help that.
Marcus Smart, CB
Marcus Smart has always had a reputation as a gritty, in-your-face defender in his NBA career. He’s six-foot-three and 220 pounds. He’s made the NBA’s All-Defensive team three times in his career and he is a guy that nobody likes to play against. He loves getting under guys' skin to get them off their game, that’s almost half the battle of an NFL corner it seems.
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