Lebron James - Best Player in NFL

[SL__72]

I would think a college QB would have a significantly higher amount of knowledge about how to play WR then someone who hasn't played football since their sophomore year of high school. He is a good example, but I think even expecting that much out of LeBron in his first year would be pushing it.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

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I would think a college QB would have a significantly higher amount of knowledge about how to play WR then someone who hasn't played football since their sophomore year of high school. He is a good example, but I think even expecting that much out of LeBron in his first year would be pushing it.

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I agree with you, I was just trying to put some #'s to this. I think the Jones #s would be an astounding achievement for Lebron in his first year. the balls Lebron would catch would tend to be jump balls in the end zone.

[PokerFink]

When LeBron jumps up to catch a rebound in the NBA, he doesn't have Brian Dawkins trying to kill him. I know there is rough stuff that goes on in the paint in the NBA, but it's nothing compared to the NFL.

Also, catching a pass in football is different than rebounding a ball. They both involve timing, positioning and leaping ability, but in much different ways. I'm sure LeBron could learn - but it would take time. The idea that he could jump immediately into the NFL is absurd, and the idea that he would be the best player in the game is downright laughable.

[MoreWineII]

Lebron James - quick, powerful, athletic, intelligent, hard-working.

I daresay he'd be the best golfer ever, edging out Tiger Woods.

[Kneel B4 Zod]

OP: if Lebron could step in and be unstoppable, how well do you think these guys could do:

DWade
Kobe
Kevin Garnett
Allen Iverson

as I've alluded to in this post, I'm somewhere in the middle of this debate. with a full training camp, my guess would be that Lebron could be good enough to catch 1 or 2 passes a game, mostly on the goal line or in jump ball/bomb situations.

Matt Jones and Antonio Gates have showed that the idea of learning how to catch a ball in the NFL is not ludicrous, but it takes a special type of person to make it happen. Lebron is already used to competing against world class athletes, and has incredible "basketball/athletic IQ".

all that said, I doubt he's fast enough to be a true WR, and his body type is not ideal for the NFL. no team would sign him for just 1 or 2 catches a game and no value on special teams

edit: unless that team was doing it for "non-football" PR stunt reasons

[Pudge714]

I voted LeBron in the poll because I misread it.
People saying LeBron could be a good QB because he has good vision in the NBA could be the stupidest thing posted in this thread and there are a lot of stupid things that have been said.

[tolbiny]

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By the way, I think I remember a study by FO a year ago about WR height, and it's actually negatively correlated with WR value (in this case DPAR). That's right - the shorter receivers were more valuable. This is obviously a case of selection bias - only the best short receivers are drafted, and every tall one is - but it's evidence that playing WR isn't an easy skill to acquire, and any basketball player can switch sports easy.

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There is a second selection bias here- in that height gives a greater advantage in basketball, so anyone with the athletic skills to be WR plus those extra 4-5 inches will probably have gravitated towards basketball fairly early on.

[wiper]

coming from someone who lives near the akron area, watched him play high school basketball in person several times, and (most importantly) someone who knows that he was an all-state receiver as a sophomore before he quit to focus on basketball, i'll venture to guess that he would've been an above-average player in the nfl..

not 'the best', but a really good receiver. sure, it was high school kids he was just blowing right by, but then, those were the kids that were the same age as him...

great athlete on the football field.

[SomethingClever]

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Do you guys realize he was a prodigy football player in high school?

If football was his focus, he would be in the NFL easy.

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Well, Allen Iverson was also a prodigy football player in high school. His game wouldn't translate either.

Aside from that, it was a long time ago, and he's probably sprouted a few inches. He's probably too tall to feasibly play the position.

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Dude I usually agree with your posts, but that Iverson analogy is terrible.

[SomethingClever]

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OP: if Lebron could step in and be unstoppable, how well do you think these guys could do:

DWade <font color="blue"> Assuming football was his sport from birth, no reason he couldn't be a great QB or WR </font>
Kobe <font color="blue"> Same, I think Kobe's insane competitiveness would lead him near the top of just about any sport he chose. </font>
Kevin Garnett <font color="blue"> Too skinny and tall. I don't think he could ever put on enough weight to play any position. </font>
Allen Iverson <font color="blue"> Too small. I suppose he could be a Dante Hall-esque kick returner, but even that would be a stretch. </font>

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