The nba in the 90s had a few European players, vlade divac is about the only name I can think of. Now there are, well, tons. I understand that the European bball leagues are better than whatever euro-football league exists, and I'm sure there are a hundred German players that would like to see you on the field for comparing it to high school ball.
You seem to have forgotten about Drazen Petrovic in Vlade's day.
A lot of these areas where football is minor, rugby is a big deal. There's enough similarity to giving and taking hits that could make them a nice project at a lower level. For a long time, for me, it was that NFLers have been playing for so long and some project is just going to show up and do well?
Then I noticed some RBs and WRs and...if we're talking speed and catching, OK I guess so.
I remember Carl Lewis for the Cowboys. You'd think he could beat anyone deep, but he couldn't. Closing time, anticipation of the DB etc he wasn't wide open all the time. He couldn't catch well either. It's a fun try though. There's been a few track stars that became KR.
In hoops you have positioning and getting banged around underneath so I can see the TE transition some. If it were me, I'd always bring some basketball guys into rookie mini camp every year. TC is 2-3 months later, you'll know if it's worth your time. There aren't all that many athletic 6-4 275 lb guys in America that can catch. Most NFL players can not do what TEs do. They can't catch the ball with guys draped all over them AND knowing a hit is coming. If these guys can move fluid enough in hoops traffic and catch n pivot, they might be able to be a TE. Some NFL TEs do use a variation of a box out the last second before they catch it.
Giants had a guy Jai Thomas? Forget his name, from George Mason five or so years ago. He was a four in hoops and sometimes C. He caught the ball well day one. He was horrible at the line and couldn't block at all. He couldn't shake off hits. If he caught it and absorbed a big hit, the next play he was shaken. Football wasn't for him but he may have had the ability.
I think the NFL is littered with TEs that can't catch it in traffic. There's a top 8? or so that do it beautifully and the rest are unimpressive. They can run routes from the LOS and catch the ball, but they're not beasting like Gronk, they're not catching it with three guys around or any of that. They still have some value in the way that they may be blocking or going for a pass but, I don't think there's all that many that can catch it in traffic.
The handsize stuff that we discuss with QBs. I always wonder why they don't do that with hoops players converting. Once Dr. J caught the ball one-handed 30-40 years ago, every one has tried since. Some hoops players can grab the ball and their huge mitts make it looks like a softball. Those few- I wanna see them try and catch a football with those huge hands. Most of the time I have a silly notion like that is because I'm frustrated with drops in the NFL. Being raised on "if it touches your hands, you'd better catch it" some of these WRs drive me nuts.
I think we're looking at best at an average NFL WR. No project is going to run routes like Rice or Fitz. I think that takes too much time to learn and focus upon.
I've never understood why some of these super athletes(again I'm old, like Daryl Strawberry) from baseball can't play S in the NFL. They are an outfielder in the NFL. Have you ever tried to pick a baseball out of the sky after a 90mph ball is hit? I have little doubt they can catch an INT with some practice. Well-coached D in hoops(which is sadly uncommon) would have some of these guys with the elementary concepts to be a DB. A great basketball player, Strawberry could have played any sport IMO.
I think though it still comes back to these NFLers have been playing their whole life and this game is at such a fast speed, 95+% of projects can't just jump in and play.
DGB was mentioned earlier. It's about his brain and the speed of the game and it's complexity. You can tell he's been well coached at Missou and OU. He grasped things with TEN. Applying them, the first half of season especially, he'd be a step slow or have this "aww rats" look on his face where you could see he knew it, but goofed. The second half of the year, he was getting better by the week. You can't give experience. I think he's been coached as well as can be, trained as well as can be, and is built as well as can be, but he needs experience. Titans gotta totally go after him in camp. Trade CBs on him when one guy is tired and just push push push him. It's there, everything is there. Watch him run a short route, he plants his foot and swivels beautifully. We didn't see that on college film. He just looked like a man amongst boys. A few deep balls he outran and didn't even turn his head, duh. A few he should have stopped and leaped for. There's so many little things that geesh if you could just give this guy experience he'd be a top NFL WR. Bottom-line though he has been very well drilled. IMO that's why with experience, he'll dominate. If he takes too long to learn and doesn't grasp it til he's 29, he might dominate in a YMCA league but...
