LeBron James Among 5 NBA Stars Who Would Excel in the NFL

LeBron James has caused a stir in the dying world of basketball, tweeting about the possibility of taking his talents to the NFL.

It'd be a great move for King James, and I'm sure other NBA stars would jump at the chance to follow him and play some football.

Let's take a look at five NBA stars who would not only make NFL squads, but would excel Antonio Gates-style.  

Nate Robinson

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 180 pounds

Position: Defensive Back

Nate Robinson, one of the shortest players in the NBA, would have been a stud defensive back in the NFL.

No, really, he would have been.

Robinson is the only player on this list to actually play college football and was a projected NFL draft lock before switching his talents to basketball full-time. 

Robinson played football at the University of Washington, where he was on a football scholarship, not basketball. Surprisingly, he was a walk-on for the basketball program.

Robinson was one of the best defensive backs in the league, and his size was not an issue due to his 44-inch vertical leap. 

Nate Robinson had the quickness to stay with any receiver and the ability to jump over them and snatch the ball. 

Quarterbacks did not throw his way. 

Imagine what life would be like if instead of Nate's high-flying dunks, we were talking about his pick-sixes. 

Glen Davis

Nick Laham/Getty Images

Height: 6'9"

Weight: 289 pounds

Position: Defensive End

Glen "Big Baby" Davis would be an absolute stud at rushing the quarterback.

He would dominate opposing linemen with his monstrous size and nimble feet. He would rack up the sack numbers.

In high school, Davis played defensive end, fullback and tight end. He rushed for just under 1000 yards on 141 carries with 14 touchdowns along the way. He was so massive he could not be brought down.

The reason he will play defensive end and not fullback in the NFL is because he is too arrogant to play a non-glorified position and would rather play end for the sack numbers. 

Derek Fisher

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 210 pounds

Position: Running Back

Shocked? I am a little bit too. But, Derek Fisher would have been a Pro-Bowl running back in his prime.

Fisher is the exact same size as current stud running back Adrian Peterson, who's as elusive as anyone in the NFL. 

His intangibles are off the chart, and any NFL coach would quickly jump at adding his leadership presence to the locker room. 

He is a strong man and would be able to break tackles and cut through opposing defenses. 

Oh yeah, and give him the ball on 4th-and-goal; he's pretty clutch. 

Blake Griffin

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Height: 6'10"

Weight: 251 pounds

Position: Wide Receiver

In 2010-11, Blake Griffin showed the world he was a freak athlete by jumping over cars (literally) and becoming the NBA's Rookie of the Year. 

Griffin standing at 6'10" and 251 pounds would be a massive target at wide receiver for any quarterback. His 37-inch vertical leap would allow any quarterback to just throw the ball up, and Blake would, more than likely, come down with it.

He was a wide receiver/safety in high school and was childhood friends with current Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. 

Salivating yet, Rams fans?

Griffin would leap over any opposing defenses and would be a dominant threat in the NFL. 

LeBron James

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Height: 6'8"

Weight: 250 pounds

Position: Tight End/Wide Receiver

LeBron has already garnered a lot of hype as a potential NFL star. Tweeting to ESPN analyst John Clayton about potentially signing with a team will do that to you.

Can baby 'Bron 'Bron back up the talk?

I think so.

LeBron James is 6'8" and 250 pounds, and he runs a 4.6-second 40-yard dash. Whoa.

Add to that his great hands and a 44-inch vertical leap. 

Freak.

We all know he was a stud wide receiver in high school, becoming an Ohio All-State selection in just his sophomore season, but could he pull it off in the NFL?

We may never know, but for any NFL team out there who is in search of a hybrid TE/WR with an athletic skill set you will never find again and some increased revenue/ratings, then look to sign LeBron James.

You're all witnesses.