5 NFL players who were college basketball superstars ft Tony Gonzalez × Follow Us Create Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Link Approve Reject & ban Delete Log in Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Gaming Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout NFL Listicle 5 NFL players who were college basketball superstars ft Tony Gonzalez By Adam Hulse Modified 20 Aug 2022 Follow Us Comment Share Atlanta Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez 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 Chicago Bears TE 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 Indianapolis Colts TE 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. Russell Clay@RussellJClayDid you know #Colts TE Mo Alie-Cox was a three year starter for the VCU basketball team?Cox was one of the most feared defenders in the A-10, and helped lead VCU to three straight NCAA tournament appearances. He destroyed my poor Umass Minutemen multiple times a year.225Did you know #Colts TE Mo Alie-Cox was a three year starter for the VCU basketball team?Cox was one of the most feared defenders in the A-10, and helped lead VCU to three straight NCAA tournament appearances. He destroyed my poor Umass Minutemen multiple times a year. https://t.co/cBeYPnMKbc 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 San Diego Chargers TE 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. CBS Sports@CBSSportsPeople forget just how good Antonio Gates was for Kent State Basketball(via @MarchMadnessTV)19458People forget just how good Antonio Gates was for Kent State Basketball(via @MarchMadnessTV)https://t.co/fiV9VvK3Yt 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 Atlanta Falcons TE 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 Denver Broncos TE 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. Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Akshay Saraswat × Feedback Thank You! Be the first one to comment Follow Us Share Show More Comments GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Gaming Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout No Results Found Get the free App now Manage notifications Popular ‍ Sports (30+) CricketCricket HomeCricket NewsScheduleIND vs SAAUS vs WIENG vs PAKLegends LeagueECC T10County ChampionshipBukhatir LeagueNZ T20 Tri-SeriesWomen's Asia Cup 2022Japan Cricket LeagueWI-W vs NZ-WECT10T20 World Cup FootballFootball HomeNewslettersSK Experts ScheduleEPLNations LeagueLa LigaLigue 1Champions LeagueFIFA WCMLS Bundesliga Serie A WWEWWE HomeNewslettersRumor RoundupRAWSmackDownResultsRosterChampionsWWE Extreme Rules 2022PPV ScheduleAEW EsportsEsports HomeMinecraftOverwatch 2RobloxGenshin ImpactFortniteGTAStreamersFree FirePUBGValorantBGMIPop CultureAnimeGaming TechWiki Guides TennisTennis HomeTennis calendarChina OpenTennis Results TodayATP RankingsWTA RankingsRoger FedererRafael NadalNovak DjokovicSerena Williams MMAMMA HomeUFC NewsONE ChampionshipUFC Fight NightScheduleRankingsResultsUFC Fights TonightONE Championship ResultsONE Championship ScheduleONE Championship Rankings KabaddiKabaddi HomePKL 2022PKL SchedulePKL Points TableKabaddi Rules WikiWiki HomeMinecraft WikiNaruto WikiTikTok WikiYoutube WikiGTA WikiTerraria WikiOne Piece Wiki MoreSportsBasketballIndian FootballNFLMinecraftFormula 1NascarPop CultureCollege FootballHockeyGolfAthleticsBadmintonGymnasticsWrestlingSwimmingTennisShootingBoxingArcheryWinter SportsRobloxSkateboardingKho KhoLifestyle LINKS About Us Write For Us Policies Editorial Standards Journalism Awards Fact Check Affiliate Program Careers CSR Privacy Policy Contact Us Edition: English हिन्दी