This is Part I of a three part series. You can read Part II here.
We’ve entered the worst part of the year. There’s no football until August, and no exciting events until April. We, the fans, are left out to dry for these dreary months and must come up with our own forms of entertainment. Some people mock draft, others pray the AAF is more successful than the shortlived WFL (1974-75). With my spare time, I’ve compiled a football roster comprised solely of NBA players.
This is Part I – The Offense. There are five offensive linemen, a quarterback, two running backs (one premier back and one goal-line back), three wide receivers (including one slot), and a tight end.
Part II – The Defense – and Part III – The Special Teams/Coaching Staff – will follow, so keep an eye out for those!
When making my list I completely disregarded previous football experience and focused mainly on build and play-style.
Tackles – Dwight Howard (WAS), Julius Randle (NOP)
When looking at the offensive line, the tackles are definitely the most agile of the group. Howard has been praised his entire career for his nimbleness despite being 265lbs, which makes him a great candidate. Being 6’11” helps too; I’m putting him on the left, so the extra wingspan can gain our QB an extra split second or two if need be.
As for Randle, he’s a small but stout PF. He’s two inches shorter than Howard but weighs just ten pounds less. If he’s going on the right, opposite Howard, the lower center of gravity will gain a few extra opportunities to lay down pancakes on run plays.
Guards – Anthony Davis (NOP), Timofey Mozgov (ORL)
Moving inward to the guards, I went with two units of men to hold down the middle. Davis (6’10”, 254 lbs) on the right is quick enough to pull across if need be but can also hold his own with Howard on the left. It does feel like squandering Davis’ incredible well-rounded nature putting him on the O-line, but it’s arguably the most important part of a football team, so his talents will be put to good use.
Mozgov, meanwhile, is 7’1″, 276 lbs and makes up for the strength lost by Randle on the right. The big Russian is walking through molasses compared to Davis, but he’s seen his share of hard play, so work in the trenches ought to fit him well.
Center – Mo Bamba (ORL)
Mo Bamba currently possesses the longest wingspan in the NBA (and second all-time) at a whopping 7’10”. That, paired with the immense muscle he’s added since his time at Texas, makes him a solid fit at center.
Quarterback – Kevin Love (CLE)
If you google NBA players on a football team, Kevin Love consistently is slotted at QB… and for good reason. He can, and will, gladly sling outlet passes down the length of the court with impeccable accuracy. Standing 6’10” would put him as the tallest shot-caller in NFL history by two inches, but that’s much needed in order to see over our monstrous line.
The height does come with a disadvantage, however. He’s slower on his feet than most QB’s in the league. This could make escaping the pocket difficult should a rusher leak through. I picture Love as Ben Roethlisberger-esque, however, so he could definitely make it work. Who says QBs need to pass with only one hand?
Running Backs – John Wall (WAS), Marcus Smart (BOS)
Initially, I wanted to put Steph Curry at tailback. However, I was quickly talked out of that when I realized how easily an average NFL linebacker could absolutely rock him if given a clear lane.
I settled for Wall as the bell-cow. He’s quick, has good vision, and weighs 20 lbs more than Steph, making him far more capable to take a hit.
Marcus Smart then seemed like an obvious choice to be a goalline/full back. He’s the heaviest 6’4″ player in the NBA at 225lbs and has shown he’s not afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone… not even centers seven inches taller and 45 lbs heavier.
Wide Receivers – Kawhi Leonard (TOR), Paul George (IND), Mike Conley (MEM)
WR is the football position most often associated with NBA players. It, more than any other position, is where you can be either a freak athlete (see Goodwin, Marquise) or a technical genius (Welker, Wesley) and succeed.
Kawhi is definitely the best candidate for WR. He stands 6’7″, already taller than any defensive back in the NFL. On top of that, he has hands that measure over 11″ wide; enough to hold a football tip-to-tip with no issue. Add in a 7’3″ wingspan, and you have a deadly receiver with a ridiculous catch radius.
Aside from being the most underrated scorer in the NBA, PG13 provides similar assets to Leonard. He’s similar in build but slightly quicker. He doesn’t have the horizontal length the Klaw has, but a vertical that clocks in upwards of 39″ makes up for any shortcomings.
PG Mike Conley wraps up the receiving corps. Despite being 6’1″ (measly when compared to Kawhi and PG13), he makes a great selection for the slot. He measures incredibly similar to New England’s Julian Edelman – the best slot receiver in the league. Conley’s steady hands will help set up a solid option in the middle of traffic. He’s spent his entire career for the Memphis Grizzlies, who breed the “Grit’n’Grind” play style, which matches what you need to man the slot.
Tight End – LeBron James (LAL)
OK. Remember when I said that K-Love was the most often appearing name when it comes to NBA players playing football? I lied. LeBron James is.
There are hundreds of articles that ask beg King James to come and play TE for his hometown Cleveland Browns. Heck, even Tom Brady recruited him to pair up with Gronk and form a TE duo deadlier than one mortal man could imagine.
LeBron is 6’8″, 250 lbs. His arms stretch upwards of 7′ long. He can quite literally leap over the “You must be this tall to ride the ride” sign. He has been clocked at a blazing 20.4 MPH and claims he can run a 4.6 second 40. In my opinion, he’s the greatest athlete on the face of the Earth.
You’ve seen how effortlessly Rob Gronkowski (one of, if not the, best athlete(s) in the NFL) can catch a ball with a defender draped all over him. The man can jump up, high-point a ball straddling the sideline, and somehow bring his toes down in-bounds. Take that, but two inches taller. That’s LeBron.
He’d likely be the top option in this offense, given the already strong chemistry between him and QB Kevin Love.
That concludes Part I- The Offense of my All-NBA football lineup. Who would you have chosen? Keep an eye out for Parts II and III, which will be released soon. Do you have any predictions for those parts of the team? Let me know, either on Twitter (@zekepersources) or Instagram (@zekepersources)