Anthony Edwards is adding to his exploding reputation with an outstanding performance so far in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, showing so much athleticism that a two-time Super Bowl champion said the 22-year-old could be a 1,000-yard receiver in the NFL.
Chris Long says Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is a "rare" athlete who could ball in the #NFL. 👀
(via @RichEisenShow) pic.twitter.com/SeBkvIfaKc
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) May 10, 2024
The topic of NBA players being able to succeed in the NFL – and vice versa – has emerged after former NBA player Austin Rivers and Philadelphia Eagles rookie Cooper DeJean both weighed in on the topic.
Long won the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in the 2016 NFL season and Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 campaign. The former defensive lineman, who last played in the 2018 season, seemed to agree with Rivers’ take, at least as far as Edwards is concerned.
At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Edwards certainly has the physical build of some very successful NFL wide receivers. For example, A.J. Brown of the Eagles is listed at 6-foot-1, 227 pounds.
Interestingly, Edwards does have a football background and once was considered one of the best youth players in the country while growing up in Georgia.
“I could have been a professional football player,” Edwards told SB Nation. “I was really good. I was the No. 1 running back in the country at 9 or 10. I stopped playing because I seen my brothers playing basketball. I thought it looked more fun.”
It looks like he made the right choice as he is helping the Timberwolves emerge as serious contenders for the 2024 NBA title. After two road wins, Minnesota leads the defending champion Denver Nuggets in their second-round playoff series.
Including a sweep of the Phoenix Suns in the first round, Edwards is averaging 32.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in six games this postseason. That includes consecutive 40-point games in closing out the Suns in Game 4 and the subsequent Game 1 win against the Nuggets.
The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Edwards has been drawing comparisons to all-time great Michael Jordan, though the young player is calling for such thoughts to stop. Jordan, of course, tried his hand at professional baseball while taking a break from the NBA during his career.
In addition to Edwards, LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans are other NBA players who have been mentioned as possible NFL success stories. Several former NFL players were successful college basketball players, namely Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez as well as Antonio Gates.
