5 NFL superstars who were drafted by a team in a different sport
NFL players are collectively some of the best athletes in the entire world. While they ultimately all chose football as their profession, many of them could have gone pro in a different sport if they wanted to.
Throughout history, baseball seems to have been a popular alternative sport for football players. The strong arms that quarterbacks develop make them valuable additions to any baseball team.
Several superstar players currently playing in the NFL have previously been drafted to a professional team in a different sport and here are five of them.
#5 - Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston was an outstanding two-sport athlete during his high school athletics career, playing both football and baseball on a nationally recognized level. Despite being ranked the top quarterback prospect in the entire country while in high school, he was also selected by the Texas Rangers in the 2012 MLB Draft as an outfielder and pitcher.
Jameis Winston aka QB1, was a beast at baseball too @Jaboowins
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Winston instead decided to attend Florida State for his college career, where he played both baseball and football. He could have chosen at any point to begin his professional baseball career with the Rangers, but kept his goal of being a professional quarterback.
He was eventually selected as the first overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
#4 - Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray is considered one of the highest rated two-sport prospects of all time. He was a superstar at the University of Oklahoma in two different sports, showing a ton of potential in both baseball and football. He eventually became the only athlete in sports history to be selected in the first round of both the MLB Draft as well as the NFL Draft.
Murray seriously considered attempting to play both sports professionally and almost attended training camp for the Oakland Athletics, but withdrew right before it officially started. He ultimately chose the NFL, but has often stated that baseball is still a realistic option for him at some point.