Chris Long Names Which NBA Players Actually COULD Play in the NFL | The Rich Eisen Show

Two-time Super Bowl champion/’Green Light’ podcast host Chris Long and Rich Eisen react to Austin Rivers’ boast that NBA players could more easily play in the NFL than vice-versa.
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[@meandsushi]

I said Ant Edwards yesterday and a bunch of football geniuses came at me like a bunch of know-it-alls.

[@averygreen2244]

He 100% coulda been a stud in the nfl. Perhaps safety

[@Mgranadosv]

A lot of people said Ant as a RB and I think that's not a good position for Ant, he's too tall so they'd go for folding him in half. But as a CB or even safety he could pull it off.

[@kbrewers]

@@Mgranadosv he could play WR as well, basically the same size, build and weight as Calvin Johnson. i mean it all goes to training and experience.

[@Enzo575]

Ant as DB would be nasty

[@andresparry8104]

My dark horse is Donovan Mitchell. He’s like 6’2, 225 lbs and his combine measurables were elite( at or near tops in lateral movement, standing/max vert/, and court sprint). Obviously he’d have to be conditioned for the punishment, but he has the requisite explosiveness and rare physicality for his height/position in basketball.

[@Mgranadosv]

Just watched his rant after Nick Wright gave the shoutout. The only thing that he said there that I disagreed with was "I don't wanna dislike Austin Rivers". I was like why not? He's very dislikeable.

[@bobbray9666]

Brock Lesner was on the Vikings preseason team but got cut. He is a literal beast and maybe if football was his primary sport, he could have been a good player? Unlike many think, NFL players need to pay attention to the many coaching lessons learned over several years to be proficient in their positions. Ant could be a great wideout but not sure how fast his 40 yard speed is. And then he'd need to learn how to run effective routes. I'm sure he could catch very well. Justin Jefferson is a master at running routes for separation and is fast but not as fast as many other NFL wideouts.

[@marcusd.sanders5065]

I can listen to Chris's stories all day lol

[@n8doggy733]

shout out Charlie Ward

[@maxsmith8475]

They need to talk to someone like Drake London, who played college hoops at USC and was drafted as the #8 overall to the falcons a couple years ago. Feel like Chris could probably get in touch with him.

[@blayworld]

Anthony Edwards - WR, Zion - TE Jalen Suggs - QB, LeBron - WR

[@catherinewilliams9680]

If Zion could stay healthy, he'd make a great TE. He's big, strong and is explosive.

[@tommydavidwalker2445]

If he can't stay healthy in the nba how the hell is he going to the NFL

[@disco4255]

@@tommydavidwalker2445I think zion is more prone to injury in basketball than football. Zion is too big to be running and jumping around the court 70 games a year

[@Suarez05]

@tommydavidwalker2445 There's absolutely ZERO Problems with Putting on Extra Weight in the NFL, Especially when U need to Keep Weight Up to Not get fined.

[@HighTeeGolf]

I don’t think 30 is too big of a stretch. He did say right from the jump that there were 3 Knicks guys that he’s “debating”. Pretty easy to find another 27 that would also be debatable

[@JayHelms]

This is awesome.

[@JeffreyTheTaylor]

I am intrigued by elite soccer players vs the NBA. The cardio and footwork screams defensive stoppers, then the ability to track and win-win 50/50 rebounds. Anyway, the entire topic is classic sports talk blather, everyone can have a take.

[@ttam1217]

Not a lot of 6'4+ elite soccer players

[@JeffreyTheTaylor]

@@ttam1217 Ronaldo is 6 2 with proven big hops, then ton of defenders in the 6 5 range. I am no soccer head, but if we are fantasizing about pro athletes who could crossover to another sport, this is a something.

[@JeffreyTheTaylor]

Zlatan Ibrahimović, 6'5; I'm sure there's more but I am in no ways a soccer fan.

[@kadeshiamatthews4214]

Olajuwon. He wasn't elite (as far as I know), but he played football before he got so tall that basketball became the more logical choice, and commentators, coaches, other players always raved about his footwork in the post. I would guess some other foreign-born players in the NBA probably have similar histories given how much more popular football is everywhere outside the US.

[@danielswartz2175]

Great perspective…what’s wrong with the holiday inn though?

[@streetsdisciple7491]

Perfectly explained 👌🏼

[@rancer119]

Chris Long taking it serious list, when does it drop

[@arieljitman]

The NFL has almost 1700 players The nba has 500 players Which one is harder to make ? One sport is mostly just strength and athleticism The other one is athleticism and being skillful. What nfl guy can make the nba Maybe 2 or 3 guys can make the nfl. Antman, westbrook, ja, zion?

[@Grimmes12]

Chuck Hayes can definitely play in the NFL, he reminds me of Jerome Bettis

[@tommydavidwalker2445]

The real issue would be the physicality. Players considered rough and tough on the nba would be at the absolute bottom of toughness mentally and physically. Go to a AAU basketball tourney and tell they could play in the NFL going forward. This is comical. NBA Tough DOESN'T Equal NFL Tough

[@nonoGomz]

Desmond Bane the only NBA player can play football Linebacker 😂😂😂

[@user-hl4oc8wq6u]

I believe an NBA player would struggle to comprehend an NFL playbook. The expression on their face would be one of complete bewilderment. They would be unfamiliar with the terminology and have no idea how a defense is structured. Nonetheless, witnessing their failure would be quite entertaining.

[@stevegass3224]

1:32 One of the baddest athletes ever was "Dave Winfield" .. I believe he had been drafted 3:46 in MLB, NFL & NBA?

[@stoopconvo2924]

He made Austin point and he also gave examples why to choose NBA over NFL.....shitty living conditions is funny afterward but at the time.

[@jodythomas4324]

Vince Wilfork, who is definitely an athlete but he’s not exactly competing for any Mr. Olympia or whatever, I don’t care if you take any NBA playing today, they act like some can just walk on right now, give them a year of training even, wilfork is tearing through every last one of them 100% of the time and twice on Sunday.

[@japethegrape1146]

Because football guys can put on that weight, basketball players need to run around. Vince is big but he’s only 6’4, you really don’t think that if 6’6 284 Zion was able to put on weight that he wouldn’t be able to stop him? Football players are allowed to get bigger because they don’t need the stamina basketball players do, Jokic could be much bigger than he is but he wouldn’t be able to jog up and down the court. Let’s see Wilfork try to run up and down 94 feet for even 10 minutes 😭😭😭

[@japethegrape1146]

The build comparison is stupid because they train for different things. The real difference is basketball requires every player to possess multiple skills and be able to do multiple things while in football you just need to be good at a single thing

[@jodythomas4324]

Ya I feel like your kind of proving my point a bit with your last comment, exactly football players are designed to be good at one particular thing especially lineman players, and also you use Zion as an example, it’s not just coming down to size which is a factor but ultimately skill set, being a jack of all trades also makes you a master of none, Wilfork is not multi faceted but he is a Master of One thing, and that’s his skill set as a Defensive Tackle. Again, you could give an NBA player a year to prep but they better be more concerned with honing in their craft for a specific position as opposed to just worrying solely about getting bigger.

[@brizzyd79]

@@japethegrape1146that’s not true at all for football

[@catherinewilliams9680]

Can you imagine a NBA player on a team that has to play Green Bay twice a year? Or New England?

[@danieldaly8442]

Nope, nah some could he’s write about Westbrook that’s guy could definitely excel in it.

[@user-yy9hk9od9u]

They can play TE, WR and DE. They're athletes and just need training.

[@danieldaly8442]

Let’s be real a lot of these players played multiple sports and played multiple sports well but athleticism is not the only thing needed. They need a little toughness, they have to be willing to be hit, and hit hard. This ain’t flag football. They have to have a coach be screaming at them in their faces.

[@abcortsen]

WIDE RECEIVER BOTH WAYS

[@colonialstraits1069]

There’s no flopping in football. 6-7 players might be a little too optimistic. Modern NBA players are way too coddled and wouldn’t last a week in training camp.

[@imandychoi]

Chris longs great

[@KENNETHedwardMitchell]

After watching Luka get up from that faceplant, i think theres a spot in league for him.

[@JusBoogie]

There are only 4 or 5 players I would genuinely could at the most play collegiate football. Steven Adams (strongest mf in the NBA IYKYFK) Lebron James(6’9 250 a freaky athletic TE) Anthony Edwards( a true athlete in every sense of the word) Shaedon Sharpe(6’6 athletic corner or receiver) Zion Williamson(considering he’s healthy a decent TE or FB maybe)

[@casynovids]

The CTE Boys upset that NBA players are better athletes.. I can find wildcat qbs ,wild receivers , punters , before I can find a NFL point

[@danross4377]

Sigh. NBA players aren't scared or cowards. Sadly, players "flop" because they're incentivized to draw a call. Doesn't mean certain players are completely soft. Some actually were GOING TO THE NFL... Here's a list of players either or could have in their prime. Lebron James--- just like R. Moss, he would've been a high pick being highly skilled in HS basketball & football. Also, he's a freak of nature. Anthony Edwards--- he loves contact and played football. Josh Hart--- I don't know his background. Maybe he can't play football, but we can believe if he trained toward football being an iron man, he might've made it as a tall receiver. Russell Westbrook --- HIGHLY explosive. Loves contact. Hard to count the times if he was WVER injured. I'm not putting Zion Williamson. He's injury prone.

[@dangielfrauk8484]

I think it was pmt who said it. But Russel Westbrook at saftey is a lock

[@tommydavidwalker2445]

Russell ain't tough like that. He may look the part but he would get folded up too

[@MaRkYWaHoO]

Go Chiefs

[@Odinson42]

You're not gonna a guy who could be more athletic than Brock Lesnar. He's even got the right body type for a football player. He still wasn't good enough to make the NFL. There are exactly zero NBA players who could play in the NFL.

[@AppleiPhone17]

We have rugby players who never played football playing in the NFL. No one is playing in the NBA without playing basketball before

[@cg5471]

That say more about a rugby players toughness than anything. Basketball just isn't in the same dimension when it comes to physicality.

[@AppleiPhone17]

yep shows you don't need any skills other than being athletic to make the NFL. That's the point. He could never make the NBA in a 1,000 years.

[@cg5471]

@@AppleiPhone17 point is soft basketball players wouldn't make it through a training camp in the nfl.

[@danieldaly8442]

@@AppleiPhone17 most of these guys played 2 to 3 sports in high school. A lot of them could. You’re telling me DK Metcalf, Mike Evan’s, and a bunch others couldn’t ball out??? Not sure how many would be elite but they could definitely ball.

[@AuburnFanSince2010]

@@danieldaly8442They can’t ball.

[@chrisconnor8086]

Jokic QB

[@kyleosborn8885]

The wolves are so much better without him on the team

[@goatjames6244]

Playing in the NBA takes way more skills than in the nfl.

[@Mgranadosv]

Your screen name tells us all we need to know about you.

[@averygreen2244]

@@Mgranadosvhe’s not wrong tho obviously they wouldn’t play qb but they could easily play special teams

[@ORagnar]

Football is more cerebral. It’s a more complex game and requires more athleticism and strength. You have to be able to take hits and give them. 0

[@meandsushi]

Maybe so but football players play basketball in the offseason. I highly doubt there are any basketball players playing football ever.

[@HondoHoss77]

Zion as a Left Tackle Would be All Pro in 3-4 years.

[@ronmcgee1868]

Imagine a young Lebron as a tight end. He ran a 4.4 40 in high school. And he's 6'9" and 270 of muscle.

[@jodythomas4324]

Lmao LeQueen would be in tears doing his signature bitching to the ref by the end of the first quarter.

[@mikep5611]

6'9 is too tall

[@Mgranadosv]

He's way too tall, there's a reason why there aren't 7 footers in the NFL.

[@tommydavidwalker2445]

What??? The soft piece of tissue would fold up after the 1st game

[@tylerlance6456]

Mahomes can ball at any sport i stg

[@gageboone1885]

The fact that the NFL players are so upset about this tells you all you need to know. There’s for sure some truth to it, even though Austin exaggerated for sure

[@Mgranadosv]

People don't get upset at things being truth, people get upset at things being stupid and others thinking it could be facts. Nobody gets upset when an idiot says "the Earth is flat", we get upset when other idiots say "there is some truth to it"

[@jakendrickwilliams8101]

NFL players you guys are sensitive.😂😂😂

[@christianwilliams1760]

Who cares?! Stupid debate that no one can prove.