NFL Network sends out awesome Selection Sunday tweet

As Selection Sunday concluded, the NFL Network had a little fun on twitter as March Madness begins

To be successful in the NFL, you have to be a special type of athlete. The type of player whose physical attributes translate well to other sports. In fact, some of the players in the NFL played college basketball.

So as Selection Sunday concluded, NFL Network highlighted some of these athletes who spent their college days playing during March Madness.

Did someone say #SelectionSunday? pic.twitter.com/TLxDqd8s72
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 15, 2015

What an awesome way to celebrate the most exciting time in college basketball. It is the off season, so unless the NFL network is covering some sort of free agency or trade rumor story there isn’t a whole lot to talk about.

This connection to NCAA basketball is truly awesome. To think about the fierce defensive linemen Julius Peppers play basketball is a lot of fun. Peppers was a walk on for UNC in the early 2000s. His biggest highlight was scoring 21 points and got 10 rebounds in the second round of the 2001 NCAA tournament. But he ultimately decided to focus on football, probably a good choice considering the success he has had.

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When football coaches recruit tight ends, its not out of the question for them to ask if they have played in power forward for their high school. A lot of the same skills translate for this position. That is probably why NFL tight ends such as Tony Gonzalez, Julius Thomas, and Antonio Gates also played college basketball.

Gonzalez, at the University of California, Berkeley, dedicated himself to both the football and basketball teams. He never averaged more than 10 points a game for their basketball team, but was still a pretty huge role player for the Golden Bears. But when he decided to leave for the NFL draft, he hung up his basketball shoes for good.

Julius Thomas has recently gone through some trade drama in the NFL. He is very high in demand after emerging as a premiere tight end in the NFL. It is no wonder he played four years on college basketball at Portland State. He averaged 10.8 points and 5.9 rebounds his senior season, before he entered the NFL draft.

Antonio Gates is one of the best tight ends of all time. His huge frame combined with his surprising speed and good hands make for a perfect tight end that can catch and block. It is no surprise that he made a great basketball player for Kent State, where he averaged 16.0 points and 8.1 rebounds.

Typically football players who double as basketball players don’t land in the point guard/wide receiver category. But when you think how athletic Antwaan Randle El really is, it is no surprise that he made a great basketball player under Coach Bob Knight for Indiana. Randle El didn’t even start out as a wide receiver in college. He was a quarterback who could do a little bit of everything. After transferring a number of times and getting drafted into the NFL in 2002, Randle El also set his basketball career aside to play professional football.

What all of these guys have in common is there superior athleticism. To be a professional football player requires a certain amount of athleticism that is greater than you’ll see on average in other sports. Which is why you will see players like these be able to play multiple sports at a highly competitive level in the NCAA.

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