Last week ESPN put out an article about the possibility of LeBron James in the NFL and how good he would be. To sum it up it basically said while LeBron would most likely not pull an MJ and switch sports most people said he would be a good player.
After reading this I thought about for awhile before realizing that how silly it was. If LeBron played football he would without a doubt be a pro bowl caliber player and one of the best in the league.
In high school LeBron played football for three years and in two of them he was an all state receiver. In his junior year he had 57 receptions and
had 16 touchdowns and holds records that still stand today. Mark Murphy, who was the defensive coordinator at LeBron’s high school and had an eleven year career in the NFL, said “I tell people that I rate my top receivers — coaching, playing or watching — as James Lofton, Jerry Rice, Steve Largent and LeBron James.” He went onto say “I felt like that was one kid that could have gone from high school to the NFL and played.” That is pretty high praise for never playing college football.
When LeBron was in high school he received interest from Ohio State and Notre Dame and probably would have had a scholarship from any college he wanted but he didn’t play football his senior year instead focusing on basketball and his future. Chip Hillings, who played college football and saw all of LeBron’s games said “If he went to Akron, their football program would have been top 20″ and went on to say ” He really was an incredible football player.”
LeBron is one of the best athletes ever to play. He stands 6-8 and weighs a solid 250 pounds. He also has a 44 inch vertical which would be in the top ten all time at the NFL Combine. Any defensive that lined up against him would have no chance. Their only chance would be to jam him at the line but LeBron’s brute strength would be too much for them to handle.
LeBron could play wide receiver or tight end and be great at either. He could follow in the footsteps of Antonio Gates, who played basketball in college then signed with the Chargers after not playing football since high school and turned into a Pro Bowl tight end who set receiving records for tight ends. Gates is a good athlete but nowhere in the class of LeBron. Imaging what kind of numbers LeBron could put up is scary.
People have questioned LeBron’s speed saying he probably wouldn’t run in the 4.4’s or 4.5’s. To that I say just watch LeBron sprint down the court on a dunk or when he chased down Jason Richardson and blocked his dunk attempt from behind. After watching that you’d have to be silly to deny that LeBron has legit speed and isn’t faster than some of the possesion receivers that have played in the NFL like Keyshawn Johnson.
The ability to deal with the physical aspect has been a knock against LeBron. True he isn’t used to getting hit and the day to day beating in practice he’d take could affect him. But LeBron is one of the most physical players in the NBA and his 250 pound frame can take a hit and recover.
There was also talk of LeBron being “too tall.” Perhaps if LeBron was playing another position like offensive line this could be a problem because he could struggle to create leverage but he’s not. He’d be a receiver or tigh end. His 6-8 frame would only benefit him. Add his 44 inch vertical and he would be the ultimate red zone weapon. You could simply lob the ball up to him and shorter defensive backs wouldn’t stand a chance.
It’s just a pipe dream now but after the recent bitter loss to Orlando in the playoffs I wouldn’t be surprised if the thought crossed his mind. After seing Jordan hang them up and decide to play baseball I wouldn’t be surprised to see LeBron give football a go. LeBron is a winner and he showed that desire after his behavior after the Cavaliers elimation and if he fails to win a championship soon we could be seeing him on Sundays.
