I decided to take a look into players that would fit in well in the NFL.
MLB
Aaron Judge
Why: This guy is a stud in all sports and he has a small football background. As a football player for Linden (California) High School, he set a school record for touchdowns, 17. The wide receiver got offers to play for Notre Dame and UCLA as a tight end. Judge had always preferred baseball, and he played four years at Fresno State before being drafted 32nd overall by the Yankees in the 2013 MLB Draft.
Aaron Judge is built like a football player, standing at 6-foot-7 and 285 lbs. The former AL Rookie of the Year smashed a record-setting 52 homers in his rookie season and definitely has the strength and power to be an amazing football player if he had liked.
If Judge chose to play football, I think he would have attended UCLA. He would have then played four years for them and then entered the NFL Draft. I think he would have been drafted around 55th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. With this pick in real life, the 49ers picked a tight end, so it matches up well. Judge would have then went on to help the 49ers, as they were coming off a tough loss in Super Bowl 47.
Although he has been hit with injuries this season as well as last, he is on track to be one of the greatest Yankees ever. Baseball looks like it was a good choice for Judge.
NHL
Paul Martin
Why: He was a high school football player who set Minnesota state records in 1999. That year, he recorded 189 receptions for 3,009 yards on his way to being named to the All-State team.
Martin chose to follow a career in hockey after he was offered a scholarship to the University of Minnesota. His collegiate career worked out well and he led his team to back to back 2002-03 NCAA Division I championships. After playing four years at the collegiate level, Martin joined the New Jersey Devils. He continued to play in the NHL until he retired in November of 2018.
Had Paul Martin chosen to pursue football, I believe he could have gotten drafted in the late rounds of the NFL. He could have been drafted by the New York Jets in the 2003 NFL Draft with the 150th overall pick. Standing at 6-foot-1 and 200 lbs, Martin is built well for a wide receiver.
NBA
Shaquille O’Neal
Why: He is already built like a football player, standing at 7-foot-1. He played basketball all his life, but if he had tried football I reckon he could have been really good at it.
As most sports fans know, Shaq was the first overall pick in the 1992 draft and he continued to impress throughout his time in the NBA. As a rookie for the Orlando Magic, O’Neal was named player of the week for the first week of his NBA career. For his entire NBA career, Shaq scored 28,596 points and had a lifetime average of 23.7 ppg.
Had he ever tried to play football I think Shaq could have been a good offensive lineman, but he would have learned an entirely different skill set. His size could have been an advantage for blocking and holding his ground.
I think Shaq would have attended Michigan and been an offense and defensive lineman. He would have played four years at the collegiate years before getting drafted 54th overall by the Miami Dolphins in the 1994 draft.
All three of these players could have made great NFL careers, but they did amazing in their respective sports anyway.
