5 NFL players who were college basketball superstars ft. Tony Gonzalez

Modified Aug 20, 2022 22:44 GMT

The NFL features some of the best athletes in the entire world. While they have chosen football to make a professional career out of, many have excelled at other sports along the way, including at the high school and college level.

Several current and former NFL players were stars in college basketball before ultimately deciding to stick with football as their professional sport. Many of these players eventually ended up becoming tight ends in the NFL, including these five examples.

#1 - Jimmy Graham

Jimmy Graham was one of the most dominant tight ends in the NFL during his time with Drew Brees for the New Orleans Saints. He was twice selected as an All-Pro. He has since played for the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, and Chicago Bears.

Graham played just one year of college football following his four-year college basketball career with the Miami Hurricanes. He appeared in 120 games for the basketball team as a forward, helping them appear in the NCAA March Madness Tournament.

#2 - Mo Alie-Cox

Mo Alie-Cox has spent his entire NFL career so far as a tight end for the Indianapolis Colts. He has mostly been a red zone specialist and used as a mismatch against smaller defenders.

He was signed as an undrafted free agent, as a speculative addition to their offense after becoming a standout college basketball player at VCU.

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Alie-Cox played 142 games for VCU and was considered one of the best defensive players in the entire country. He totaled 255 blocks during his college basketball career, the second-most in school history, while averaging nearly two blocks per game. He helped VCU win one A-10 conference title and appeared in the NCAA March Madness Tournament in each of his four seasons.

#3 - Antonio Gates

Antonio Gates is one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. He dominated the league during his incredible run with the Los Angeles Chargers, earning five All-Pro selections during his Hall of Fame career.

What makes his accomplishments even more incredible is that he was a basketball player while attending college, not a football player.

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Gates played his first college basketball season with Eastern Michigan before transferring to Kent State, where he established himself as a star. In two seasons with the Golden Flashes, he averaged 19 points and eight rebounds per game, while helping them reach the Elite Eight in 2020.

#4 - Tony Gonzalez

Tony Gonzalez is considered by most around the NFL to be the greatest tight end of all time and one of the best all-round pass catchers to ever play the game. He ranked second in career receptions and sixth in receiving yards and touchdowns.

Gonzalez was selected to 10 All-Pro teams during his legendary NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons on his way to the Hall of Fame.

Prior to his NFL career, Gonzalez was an outstanding two-sport athlete while attending Cal for his collegiate career. He was selected as an All-American, as a tight end in football, and also served as a starting forward on the basketball team. He averaged more than six points and five rebounds per game during his basketball career.

#5 - Julius Thomas

Before spending time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins, Julius Thomas spent the majority of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos. He is best known for helping them win a Super Bowl ring while being selected to two consecutive Pro Bowls, serving as the primary tight end for Peyton Manning.

Thomas attended Portland State for his collegiate career, where he spent two years as a starting forward on the basketball team. He helped them reach the NCAA March Madness Tournament during both of his seasons while also being selected to the All-Conference team twice.

He then finished his college sports career by playing one year of football before being drafted by the Broncos.