32. Menelik Watson
A lot of NFL players would be useful to have on your side in a zombie apocalypse. Most of them are large, strong and athletically gifted. Compared to the normal population, football players are exceptional. Compared to the average football player, Menelik Watson is exceptional. That he’s a member of the Oakland Raiders, and therefore eligible for this list, is all due to a childhood injury.
Watson grew up in a rough part of Manchester, England, hoping to someday play for his hometown soccer team, Manchester City. One day playing in the park he broke his ankle, which ended his soccer career. He later played basketball and ended up at Marist College in New York. Too short to play basketball professionally, Watson switched schools and sports, becoming a right tackle at California’s Saddleback College. He took up boxing, too, another dream he ultimately deferred to pursue a career in the NFL.
Still, think about it: the size of a football player; the footwork of a basketball player; the hands of a boxer; a history of fighting his way out of adversity. You know Watson’s zombie apocalypse motor would be through the roof day in, day out. Plus he’s from across the pond, so if the zombies in your apocalypse end up less the slow passive ones from Night of the Living Dead and more the fast rageaholics from London’s 28 Days Later, he should be ready to throw down.
Next: Odell Beckham Jr.