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What if NBA players came to NFL?


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5 minutes ago, thrILL! said:

I could see him continuing to play QB in D1 and have a Tony Rice type impact. Any shot at the next level was doubtful bcuz of his size and frame. But man he could’ve been a Devin Hester-like return specialist.  

I think the requests to move positions is was ended his football aspirations. Spread/RPO offenses weren't around back then, so the only teams wanting a QB with his abilities were old school option/single wing/wishbone offenses. 

Iverson was an accomplished DB as well as KR/PR, so he could have been a Hester/Percy Harvin type - but if young, HS Iverson plays in todays' Spread/RPO offense, he's ending up as an Elite 11 prospect and probably recruited by every major college in CFB.

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Not enough crossover to warrant a draft, but there are without a doubt a fair share of freak athletes in the NBA, and freak athletes transcend their sport of choice. Would these guys be notable NFL players? Most probably wouldn't, but it would come down to their training and how quickly their brains can absorb all of the new info. Younger they are the better obviously, as that gives more time to learn before they begin losing that athleticism.

The sweet spot would be the handful of freak athlete 6'0 to 6'3 guards like Westbrook, John Wall, Zach Lavine, etc. Of that batch, I bet half could make the transition to football within a year and at least make an NFL roster (almost surely at WR or CB). Then you have a few (or maybe just one because I can't think of any other off top of my head) extra special guys like Lebron who in his prime could absolutely have held it down as a WR or TE at 6'6. 

 

Those 7 footers though? No way man. None of them are nearly big enough to go in the trenches, and none would have the agility or durability for WR. Maybe situational red zone threat but that's about it, and probably not worth the roster spot needed to find out.

 

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Majority of them would fail, and that includes superstars. At this point in their careers, for them to suddenly develop a football IQ/football instinct is asking a lot. Even highly athletic rugby guys typically can’t find a niche beyond special teams. 

That, and they’re quite lanky. There’s a reason you don’t really see anyone in the NFL at 6’6 that’s under 240 pounds or so. Most even heavier than that. 

That being said, I could see an under athlete like Russell Westbrook being put somewhere. I think if you put a tough guy inside Blake Griffin’s body, there’d be potential there. Lebron obviously. Andre Iguodala potentially. I’m pretty sure John Wall is at least adequate at tossing a football, so if his vision transfers there’d be at least something interesting to look at there (his athleticism would make him a bigger Vick, without the rocket). Kyrie would be an interesting player with the ball in his hands, at WR.

There are probably other NBA’ers that have a football background that I’m glossing over, but those guys come to mind. 

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5 hours ago, Yin-Yang said:

John Wall is at least adequate at tossing a football

...well, if it's anything like his ability to throw a baseball...I'm not holding my breath:

EDIT: My buddy Google tells me that Wall actually can throw a football...

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Lest we forget - Antonio Gates hadn't played football since his HS days when he was picked up by the Chargers after a four year stint as a PF for Akron. He's now pretty much guaranteed a bust in Canton as one of the best TEs in NFL history. 

Jimmy Graham was a basketball player for the U and only got involved in football his junior year at Miami - he's parlayed that into a pretty stellar career as one of the best red zone threats in the league. 

These are two names who had zero chance in the NBA. None. So, let's not paint with a wide brush on this one. Probably no chance for 7', 200lb Kevin Durant, but a guy like Russell Westbrook or LeBron James? You'd be crazy to think they'd not make it. 

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8 hours ago, ET80 said:

Jimmy Graham was a basketball player for the U and only got involved in football his junior year at Miami - he's parlayed that into a pretty stellar career as one of the best red zone threats in the league. 

no way 

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On 7/11/2018 at 10:39 PM, RandyMossIsBoss said:

The sweet spot would be the handful of freak athlete 6'0 to 6'3 guards like Westbrook, John Wall, Zach Lavine, etc. Of that batch, I bet half could make the transition to football within a year and at least make an NFL roster (almost surely at WR or CB). 

 

I seriously doubt they are learning how to play CB in one year, at least not at an NFL level.  I could maybe see it at WR, but CB is way too tough of a position to master even with 5+ years of experience playing it, much less 1.

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5 hours ago, Shady Slim said:

no way 

Way, dude - way. Scholarship basketball player, walked on to the football team his Jr. year, I think. Granted, it's hard to turn away a 6' 6" 250 lb athletic with his athletic ability.

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I grew up in NE Ohio nearby where LeBron did and an a couple years older than him.

LeBron was a first team all Ohio WR his JR year (stopped playing before his senior year for obvious reasons), but most definitely would have been a very highly recruited football player had he chose to.

With his athletic ability and skill that he actually displayed playing football, I’d have to think he’d have been a stud in the NFL.

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