Ever notice how, whenever the subject of NFL players being good at basketball comes up, the same four or five names get mentioned?
Yes, Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Julius Peppers and Jimmy Graham were accomplished basketball players, but they haven’t played in the NFL in years.
In honor of Wednesday night’s NBA draft, let’s highlight a few active NFL stars who could have played basketball professionally in a different life. Here’s the twist: I own this fantasy basketball team and I’m also the GM. (No, I don’t have $10 billion to buy an NBA franchise.)
There were only 15 roster spots in this made-up NBA expansion draft, which might be seven too many if you ask former New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
Here’s how I would form a basketball team made up of current NFL players.
Point guard
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: Not only can the two-time MVP throw nifty no-look passes, but he can also find the rim, too. Mahomes averaged 19.9 points per game for Whitehouse High School in Texas 12 years ago.
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: When it comes to the best quarterback debate, Mahomes probably has the edge over Burrow, but Burrow might be the better scorer. The Comeback Player of the Year averaged 20 points per game in his senior year at Athens High School in Ohio.
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: We already know Allen can pass and jump—let’s not forget the amazing hurdle over former Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr. However, how many points Allen generated for Firebaugh High School in California is a bit of a mystery. That’s O.K. Every team needs a heartthrob who sports the letterman jacket.
Shooting guard
Cooper Kupp, Seattle Seahawks: You know Kupp would flourish as the cerebral assassin who runs miles on the hardwood, searching for precise spots to utilize the lost art of the mid-range game. He can be this team’s DeMar DeRozan or Richard Hamilton. Kupp knows how to find joy in the Xs and Os.
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans: Yes, Stroud can pass the rock, but his competitive side (he loves to argue with Micah Parsons) would force him to be a score-first guard in the NBA. Stroud knows how to get his, which is evident by the 31 points he dropped in the celebrity All-Star Game last year.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots: Maye can play! Watch these highlights of the 2024 first-round pick.
Small forward
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds on a nightly basis might be easier for Evans than recording 1,000 receiving yards in 11 consecutive seasons. He had several college offers from basketball programs before committing to play football at Texas A&M.
DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers: Metcalf is a physical specimen. Of course, he would have made an NBA team had he decided to go down that path instead of playing football. Here’s footage of him destroying fellow athletes and celebrities.
Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings: With how efficiently Jefferson moves on the football field, he could easily be a slasher on the hardwood. Throw in a few timely screens from teammates, and no defender can keep up with Jefferson. Just ask NFL cornerbacks. Jefferson can do it all.
Power forward
Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys: There was no way I could leave Parsons off this squad after his dominant stat line of 37 points and 16 rebounds and winning MVP of the celebrity All-Star Game last year. Maybe Parsons could average 20 points per game in the NBA.
Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams: Now, this might be a hard sell after Verse was crossed up by a kid, but judging from his skills, this kid might be headed to the NBA in the future. So Verse gets a pass, and this team gladly welcomes his trash-talking skills. He can be our Draymond Green and invite boos on a nightly basis, especially from a Philly crowd.
Mo Alie-Cox, Indianapolis Colts: Alie-Cox is a true hooper as a former VCU men’s basketball standout. The 6' 6" forward started 103 games in four seasons and averaged at least nine points and four rebounds in his final two seasons. He was a blocking machine!
Center
Dan Skipper, Detroit Lions: Skipper can provide size with his 6' 10", 330-pound frame. He’s the tallest man in the NFL. Just don’t forget to check in at the scorer’s table.
Joe Alt, Los Angeles Chargers: The 6' 8", 321-pound Alt might be the kind of human who can wake up one day, decide to pick a new hobby and immediately be good at it. When he wasn’t playing quarterback, edge rusher, tight end, linebacker and tackle for his local high school in Minnesota, he played basketball in the winter for Totino-Grace.
Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers: I don’t even care about Williams’s basketball background. He has to be on this team solely as an enforcer. Not even NBA big men from the ’70s and ’80s would mess with Williams, who made the Cleveland Browns run away once he made his way over to the pregame scuffle in 2023.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Players Who Could Have Played in the NBA.