Tonight will serve as a big day for sports fans — the NBA Draft will air tonight at 7:30 PM EST on ESPN, introducing a fresh crop of talent to the other booming pro sports league in the United States.
For the most part, basketball and football players are different breeds. Basketball players are long and lean — football players are typically dense, they need to be if they wish to survive the wear and tear of 12-15 games of high contact. But every so often, you’ll see someone make the switch.
Tight ends Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham were college basketball players before switching to football and thriving as pass catchers in the NFL.
And so the question begs to be asked, are there any talents in the 2019 NBA Draft that could help the Miami Dolphins? The answer is yes and of course his name is Zion Williamson. Williamson is a special talent — the kind of player that pro coaches would drool over if there was any thought that he would want to come to the NFL and play professional football.
Athletes of Williamson’s stature and explosiveness are a rare breed. Standing in at 6-foot-7, Williamson is reportedly a bulky 285 pounds. And yet he still sports a vertical jump that exceeds 40 inches. He’s light on his feet — despite the fact that once he’s drafted he’ll be the second heaviest player in the NBA.
A player like Williamson on the edge of the defense as a pass rusher or working from an in-line position as a tight end sure would be fun to see. We’ll almost certainly never get the chance, but hey — that’s what the offseason doldrums are for, right?
