Jason Kelce has high expectations for LeBron James' chances in the NFL

One of the big talking points throughout the week in sports has been how NBA players would perform in the NFL. That all started when former player Austin Rivers claimed on The Pat McAfee Show that there are 30 players in the NBA who could play well in the NFL, but there are not 30 NFL stars who could participate in the NBA. That created a gigantic, heated debate, highlighted by Rivers and former Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones competing in a war of words with one another.

The debate also sparked which players could make the jump to the other league.

Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce chimed in, replying to a video from ex-NFL defensive back and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, who said there aren't five NBA players "tough enough" to play football. Kelce says if he were an NFL general manager, he would sign Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. Not exactly a shocker, considering he is one of the best players of all time.

How confident is Kelce in James? Well, the center says in one offseason, the future Hall of Famer can turn into a red-zone threat.

Jason Kelce believes LeBron James could be 'red zone threat' in NFL

James' link to football isn't exactly new. While shining as a basketball player for St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, James also played football. As a wide receiver, James recorded 103 catches for 2,065 yards and 23 touchdowns in two seasons. James was so highly thought of as a football player, that even Urban Meyer made an offer to James to play for Notre Dame!

Ultimately, James decided to declare for the NBA Draft in 2003, and was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers. But that's not the end of the "James to the NFL" talk.

Back in 2011, the NBA was in a lockout that eventually resulted in the 2011-12 season to 66 games per team. 10 years later, James claimed during an appearance on The Manningcast that during the lockout, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll both made contract offers for him to play football. In fact, James said he still has the jerseys that both Jones and Carroll offered him.

James playing in the NFL could be one of the largest "what if's" in sports. How would he have played in an NFL offense? We'll never know. But Kelce believes he would have been a touchdown-scoring machine had he played professional football.