player that should/or could play in the nfl

Nate Robinson @ RB or DB (played DB at UW)

lebron...

Dwight would get tossed trying to play DE hes way too thin .... I know he looks muscluar but its still on a skinny frame... AND hes too tall to get any leverage on the line

ben wallace

Dude Ryan Hollins is too tall and thin to play any position in the NFL but Wide Reciever which would be interesting because I think he could play Wide Receiver if he can catch. But not defensive end he would get aten alive by an NFL O LINE.

And DH is way more athletic then Mario Williams. I bet Howard would run a 4.45 40 yard dash. But I do think he could play OLB in a 3-4 scheme rushing the passer.

Nate Robinson could def play corner or RB.

I think Derrick Rose would make a terriffic RB, along with Ray Felton.

Eric Gordon and Sonny Weems would probably run to the 2 fastest 40 yard dashes in the league. Along with Rose, Russ, and Wall.

Deron Williams is built like a full back.

Also Wide Receivers: Lebron was a beast wideout in HS. Would of def went pro in football is he never played basketball and would or probably wound up as a tight end in the Vernon Davis mold. Westbrook and Iggy could both play WR too I think.

I was thinking either tight end for Hollins. I remember watching i think it was Nazy and they had this 6-10 tight end who was mismatch.

Dont underestimate Williams athletaism.

matt barnes was a good wide receiver i believe. glen davis could play on the d line. dajuan blai im sure could have played somewhere. point is nba has probably the best athletes in the world.

Bron is a foregone coclusion at receiver or tight end. Id also take Drose in the backfield for that combination of start/stop speed and physicality he shows in the league.

Put Wade at receiver he'd be like Randy moss.

On a side note any body notice how 6-3 to 6-4 receivers look tall compared to everybody else and in basketball its just average

Shaq at fullback
Steve Nash at punter

O one. It's harder to make it in the NFL then

Just because the NBA has the best athletes doesn't mean they would make good football players. Football is a much more physically demanding sport than basketball.

True football is much more physically demanding. I think dwade would be one of those receivers to play like 6-8 games in a season with amazing stats but get hurt every year. Lebron physically could play TE or WR. I wonder how coordinated he'd be when it comes to running routes. Dejuan blair could easily be a huge fullback or O lineman. I think the main difference between NFL and NBA players is that NFL players arent always coordinated or very smart for that matter making them basically run and jump players when it comes to playing basketball. NFL players for the most part wouldnt be able to dribble all too well and their reactions to things on the court would be late if there was any reaction at all. Also NFL players are way bulkier for sustaining hits (obviously) where as NBA players want to have a slim yet muscular body to sustain the wear and tear of a season while not being held back from being too bulky

ai but hes not in nba anymore but dude was crazy at footballl 2

Supposedly was a really good OT/DT in HS. Of course Nate and LeBron are guys I think could have played pro football. But, I think on the whole, very few football players have NBA type bodies and vice versa. It is a different type of preparation for each, so while both have players with incredible athleticism, it is usually best used in their particular sport. I think certain NFL players could play in the NBA, and certain NBA guys can play in the NFL, but under the current circumstances in which these players trained, I do not think any would be truly dominant. LeBron of course has amazing athleticism and strength, and looks like he runs like a Deer, but do we actually know if he has 4.4-4.5 speed? I know I don't. He can jump out of the gym, we know that, but we also know that at 6'8, those knees are a big, bad target. I think LeBron chose the right sport. I honestly believe that with Nate's combo of athleticism, speed and strength, he might have been the most successful NBA player right now who could have played in the NFL, but I think he too picked the right sport. The money on average is better for NBA players, as is the length of career. Football is indeed the most physically demanding and devestating game, and you need special skills to succeed in it. As much as NBA athletes could post some mind boggling combine numbers, mainly at the skill positions or corner (do not know many NBA players I would want playing DE or linebacker), most are I believe much better off playing basketball, which is physically demanding, but not as brutal on the body as football.

Have you ever watched football? A 7 foot player playing wide receiver would get his legs destroyed. The tallest players in the NFL to my knowledge were 6'9'' and played either tackle or defensive end.

I said tight end. hed match up against Linebackers more.

i would like a 7 foot wide reciever for 3rd and short and red zone situations. Its not like dwight/ryan hollins or a javele mcgee are uncordinated and couldnt run basic routes. Throw it high and let them get it.

I think for a 7 foot player to have the strength and bulk to survive an NFL schedule they'd have to be at least 275 lbs.

wide recievers in the nfl are not close to 275. Im saying use them as a te or slot reciever in certain situations. I think their lack of strength wouldnt standout as much. Im curious to see how those guys would do in the nfl if they had a full off-season of practice. Ryan hollins was a track star at ucla and did the high jump and something else i believe.

The reason players thos size dont play is because their either too stiff, or they play basketball.

No they aren't, because they are like 6'- 6'5'' on average, from a proportional standpoint I think Hollins would have to pack on about 30-50lbs of muscle. I mean, Randy Moss is a lean guy, but he's 6'4'' 210 so I don't think 7' 230 is a good build for an NFL player. Like you said, maybe with a year of weight training and practice he could be better, but I wouldn't think a 7' TE or Receiver especially without an NFL build we be anything more than a wild card who you bring in on those kind of situations, maybe once or twice a game if even.

Kevin Love at QB with that cannon like arm, his outlet passes from the post are pretty accurate.

Oh and Matt Barnes could've possibly made it to the NFL as a WR. He was a letterman at High School and All-American honoree.

Steve Nash has excellent court vision and is an excellent passer, so i could see him being a good QB, especially when guys like manning and brady are so good without being too athletic.

also i think Will Bynum could make a heck of RB-about 5-11, strong as a bull and quick and coordinated as a cat-he's real similar to a lot of other RB's

Matt Barnes = WR

DeJuan Blair = TE

Allen Iverson = QB/KR/WR

LBJ- WR/TE

Nate Robinson- HB/KR/CB

Glen Davis- FB/RB

Steve Nash- K

D-Wade- WR

Kobe- WR

Josh Smith- TE

Rondo- CB/KR

Derrick Rose- CB/KR

John Wall- CB/KR

David Noel- TE/WR

Iguodala- TE/WR

You guys do know that just because a guy can chuck a basketball accurately down the court doesn't mean they would make a good QB. Throwing a football is an entirely different concept.

I think John Wall would be a great WR. Has great size at 6'4", is super fast, and would be elusive after the catch and would have the ability to make people miss in the open field. He ha the same build as Randy Moss, which is perfect for a WR, and he would be able to make those specatacular catches because of his height and long arms.

Glen Davis would be a good fullback. He is big so he would be able to make those key blocks, but he is also mobile enough to gain yards on the run and catch, and truck people.

And you know I can't leave off Shaq. He would make a great O-Lineman. He has all the physical attributes you would want in your O-Lineman. Great strength, very athletic for his size, very tall, and has long arms. I think he would be an All-Pro.

You know "very tall" isnt exactly something you really want for a OL. For 1 their height can affect the QB's vision and secondly there is this concept called leverage. There is a reason why there aren't any 7 footers in the NFL.

LeBron James was touted as the best WR out of Ohio when he played FB and he wouldn't be on this list? Come on now.

Yeah a 7 footer could never play center too high of a center of gravity, plus you dont wanna have to reach down to grad their jerseys.

I think Dejuan Blair If he bulked up a little more could possibly play offensive tackle.

He could play cause he got mad hops and he got good size, but its way harder 2 show all there skill in pads

You guys are forgetting a few things. First the NBA takes wingspan and Sneakers into account when listing measurements because the taller you are the more valuable. The oppossitte is true in football. If Randy Moss played basketball he would probably be listed at 6'6 they would give him two inches. So in Football D Wade would be a 6'3 WR. And D Rose would be a 6'2 RB in the Adrien Peterson mold. These guys are both world class athlete so if they wanted to play football they could. I don't know how good they would be but football is always looking for warm bodies, and world class athlete warm bodies are a plus.

And If I hear one more person say Dejaun Blair or Glen Davis could play full back I'm gonna scream.

Do you know the average size of an NFL FB is like 5'11? Why? Because all a full back is, is the lead blocker they get low and blow linebackers up at the point of impact because of their leverage. There are hardly any Fullbacks in the league over 6'2. Most of them are 5'10, 5'11 and 6' and have a nice compact build.

Glen Davis and Blair could both play DE tho. Blair would be a 6'5 270 DE which is about right. And there are alot of 6'6 DE's in the league. Look at Manny Lawson he is 6'6 and super athletic, he would be a small forward or power forward in basketball probably listed around 6'8 like Thad Young.

And does anybody remember last years Final's game when Paul Pierce dove out and thru the loose ball back in bounds where Rondo in Mid Air reached back and grab it wit one arm. That's a WR play right there.

And the tallest player in the NFL player for the Philadelphia Eagles at Offensive Tackle and it's King Dunlap he's 6'9 330

you can allways have eddy curry and john bryant anchor the oline

D tackle is the only position you can have fat seven footers, more as goal line players though.

lol.... actually a really good topic

Nate Robinson would play CB/RB.

At RB, he has a lot of speed and quickness, is very atheletic, and is very strong for his size, which would enable him to blcok well and break through arm tackles. But on the downside, at RB, his size would be a legitimate concern. Because of his size, I don't think that he would be able to carry the load at RB for a team and be an every-down back. If he played RB, he would probably only be a 3rd-down back, like Darren Sproles.

I think the best position for him to play would be CB. CB is the only position he could play where his size wouldn't be a liability. He has good speed and quickness and is very strong for his size, so he should be a good tackler. His strength would also allow him to be good in press coverage, because he would have good jamming ability.

Dwight Howard would not run a 4.45. That's BS.

matt barnes, allen iverson, glen davis, and lebron had serious college interest.

alot of nba players have the necessary attributes to play pro football(speed, strength, leaping, etc). that meaning if they chose football over basketball the could have careers. the one guy was right with blair and davis playing fullback. that is ridiculous. and the person that said john wall at wide receiver deserves points from everyone. thats about as good an example as there is. wall would probably be listed at like 6 foot 3 and like 205 and would be a serious deep threat ala randy moss.

He could obviously play in the NFL, but he is way too tall and skinny and would get destroyed and probably would suffer multiple injuries. There's a reason why there's no 7 foot te's, and the super tall ones are a beefy 265.

But the thing is, the guys who you say could play a skill position, do they actually have ball skills? It takes more than just speed and leaping ability to be a good wide receiver. Saying John Wall could be like Randy Moss is an insult to the other skills Moss has outside of jumping and speed. There are A LOT of fast, high jumping receivers in the NFL, but they aren't reliable and below par route runners. LeBron James and Matt Barnes are the only exception because they are the only basketball players who could actually play a skill position in the NFL. LeBron would be a good tight end, and Matt probably wouldn't start, but he would get reasonable play time as a 3rd receiver at best. Nate could play in the NFL, but I doubt he could be anything other than a nickel corner and special teams player. I mean if some of these NBA players actually grew up playing football like they have basketball, then yeah, but I doubt very, very few NBA players could make an immediate jump and end up on a team.

Some of you guys are delusional. Dwight Howard a bigger Mario Williams? Mariowould toss Dwight like a rag doll, intangibles matter and I guarantee Williams is immeasurably stronger.The NBA has the best athletes in the world? You do realize that Tim Tebow has the same vert as John Wall right? Plus NFL players having 40 inch verts is extremely common. The NFL has hands down by far the best athletes on the planet. Wade like Moss? Weems running the fastest 40 in the league? You can't be serious. Also Rondo being the best corner in the NFL may be the dumbest statement I have heard about him. Heard of Darrelle Revis? Boy from Oakland whos name I can't spell? Seriously dropped the ball on this one.

Stop overreacting just because you play football. We know your defending your sport and all but athleicism in football and in basketball are totally different. The NFLs best athlete would not be in the same class as others if he was playing NBA basketball and likewise for an NBA player in the NFL.

I play(ed) basketball too, it's not like I haven't seen both in action. Do you agree with any of the comparisons I shot down?

Im not one for comparisons at all, let alone from one sport to another.

Listen- get the top 5 athletes in football and tell them to run a fullcourt scrimmage against the top 5 athletes in the NBA and whatdo you think the outcome will be? A blowout. Likewise if they were to play a football game.

That doesn't say anything about who is more athletic than the other. From playing both, I would have to personally say strictly football athletes vs strictly basketball athletes leads to football on top, the strength difference is probably the widest gap if that counts as athleticism.

"That doesn't say anything about who is more athletic than the other"

Yes, and you just disproved your own statement. Football players are much stronger as a whole, while basketball players are more agile and have better explosiveness vertically. Speed/quickness-wise I think they are about even.

I agree with your first post completely. Not sure who has the best athletes though. Tough one to call.