One thing you often find with good NFL teams is their willingness to branch out from just football when trying to find great talent. One such example was the Philadelphia Eagles bringing in Jordan Mailata, who’d been a rugby player. He is now their star left tackle. The Chicago Bears haven’t really done anything like this in their history, preferring the tried-and-true method of finding established football players. Now it appears that might be changing under the new regime led by head coach Ben Johnson.
Word came out on Monday that the Bears have interest in college basketball junior Coen Carr as a possible crossover to the NFL. Carr is a 6’6″ forward for the Michigan State Spartans. His 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists per game helped the team reach the Sweet Sixteen this past season, falling in a close battle to eventual national championship participant UConn. Carr revealed on the I Am Athlete podcast that the Bears approached him about the possibility of playing football.
The Chicago Bears’ approach isn’t crazy.
As of now, Carr’s NBA prospects are decent. Experts project he will likely go somewhere in the late 1st or early 2nd round. They see him as an elite dunker with a rumored 51.5-inch vertical. However, there are concerns about his size. He plays power forward, but at 6’6″, he is far too short for that position in the NBA, and might be borderline for small forward as well. His offensive game doesn’t involve great shooting either. His biggest attributes are explosive dunks and shot-blocking.
Players like him can usually find a steady role in the NBA, but they rarely become stars. By contrast, players of his size with that speed and explosiveness are highly coveted in the NFL. A 6’6″ pass-catcher who can jump out of the gym immediately creates matchup problems. Johnson likes big athletes, so the attraction of Carr is easy to see from his perspective. Besides, it’s not like this is unprecedented. History shows moves like this can pay off huge if handled the right way.
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College basketball has a proven pipeline to the NFL.
If you look back at recent history, you’ll find the two linked more often than you think. There are quite a few examples of athletes who were primarily college basketball players who transitioned to the NFL. The most famous example is Antonio Gates. A standout player for Kent State, he’d never played football before. The San Diego Chargers took a gamble on him, and he transformed into a Hall of Fame tight end. Jimmy Graham played only one year of college football, spending most of his time in basketball. He went on to become an All-Pro with the New Orleans Saints. More recently, you have Mo Allie-Cox, who went from VCU power forward to a tight end who just finished his ninth season with the Indianapolis Colts.
It isn’t hard to imagine Carr walking that same path. He has the same attributes as those other players: size, explosiveness, and natural hands for catching a ball. It only takes the willingness to give football a shot. The Chicago Bears have the perfect setup to help a young athlete like him develop. Tight end would be the obvious position of choice. Johnson is an aficionado of such players. If Carr is uncertain about his NBA prospects, then he could have a much brighter future waiting in the NFL.
