10 Prominent NFL Draft Prospects With Baseball Backgrounds
Image credit: Notre Dame lefthander/tight end Cole Kmet (Courtesy of Notre Dame)
Kyler Murray and A.J. Brown in back-to-back seasons became the first two players ever to be selected as Under Armour All-Americans in both baseball and football. Last April, a few years after their high school exploits as two-sport stars, they ended up in the same NFL draft class.
Murray was drafted first overall by the Arizona Cardinals, becoming the first player ever to be drafted in the first round of both the MLB and NFL drafts. Brown followed 50 picks later, going in the second round to the Tennessee Titans. Both Murray and Brown were named to the all-rookie team following the season.
Brown and Murray brought baseball to the NFL draft party in a big way last spring. They joined a long line of former baseball players who have gone on to impress in the NFL, a group that includes players like Tom Brady, John Elway, Bo Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Deion Sanders.
This year’s NFL draft, which begins Thursday at 8 p.m. ET with the first round and continues over the next two days, has some strong baseball connections as well. Here are 10 NFL prospects with baseball backgrounds to watch this week.
Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
Herbert is expected to be one of the first quarterbacks to be drafted after an impressive career as Oregon’s starter culminating with the 2019 Pac-12 title. He played baseball throughout high school and drew some draft interest as a prep pitcher, going 8-0, 0.66 with 71 strikeouts in 53.1 innings as a senior. Now listed at 6-foot-6, 237 pounds, he stood out then most for his arm strength, a trait that NFL scouts are still impressed with.
Patrick Queen, LB, Louisiana State
Queen this fall was a starter on LSU’s national championship team and is expected to be a first-round pick. He played baseball throughout high school and reportedly drew some interest from college coaches as an outfielder. He hit .380 as a senior but the opportunity to play football for LSU was too much to pass up.
Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame
Unlike the rest of the players on this list, Kmet’s baseball career did not end in high school. He came to Notre Dame as a two-sport athlete and was an important piece of the Fighting Irish’s pitching staff for the first two years of his college career. The lefthander saved eight games as a freshman and then went 0-2, 2.89 with 27 strikeouts, three walks and two saves in 18.2 innings in an injury-shortened sophomore season. Listed at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds with good athleticism and a fastball that gets into the low 90s, Kmet was a very intriguing baseball prospect. But he’s always been considered a standout tight end prospect and in January he opted to follow that route when he declared for the NFL draft.
Grant Delpit, DB, Louisiana State
Queen’s teammate on LSU’s national championship team, Delpit has said baseball was his first love. He played outfield in his first two years of high school but quit after his sophomore year to focus on football. That decision didn’t stop his mother from dreaming, however. “My mom loves baseball—still loves baseball. She’s always talking to (LSU athletic trainer) Jack Marucci, trying to put in a word for me for coach Paul Mainieri,” he told LSUsports.net in 2018. “I may try to go out there, try out next year, get on the team. Maybe be a pinch runner.”
Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor
Mims was a two-sport star in high school, but his success came on the gridiron and in track, where he won a state title. Still, he began playing baseball in high school instead of running track. He was a pitcher until suffering an arm injury as a freshman that changed the course of his career. Mims not only ended his baseball career, he also moved from quarterback to wide receiver, setting him on a course that is expected to end with him being selected in the first few rounds of the NFL draft.
Jacob Eason, QB, Washington
Eason was a two-sport star in high school, but his baseball career came to an end after his junior year because he enrolled in college a semester early. The power-hitting outfielder had some big raw tools, as he showed in the final at bat of his prep career.
Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia
Fromm had an impressive career at Georgia, highlighted by an appearance in the national championship game as a freshman. But his first taste of athletic fame came on the diamond. He starred in the 2011 Little League World Series, where he hit three home runs and struck out 11 of the 18 batters he faced on the mound. Fromm kept playing baseball throughout high school, but his focus was increasingly on becoming a star quarterback instead of a third baseman.
Nate Stanley, QB, Iowa
Stanley was the quintessential three-sport star in high school. He was the quarterback, broke his school’s career scoring record in basketball and pitched, reportedly touching 90 mph. That arm strength helped him develop as a quarterback at Iowa and will likely get him drafted.
Anthony Gordon, QB, Washington State
Gordon was first drawn to baseball in part because of his uncle Greg Reynolds. He developed as a two-sport star in high school and was drafted in the 36th round in 2015 by the Mets as an outfielder. He wanted to continue playing football, however, so he began his college career as a two-sport athlete in junior college. But when he transferred to Washington State after his freshman year, he turned to football full-time.
Shea Patterson, QB, Michigan
Patterson has already been drafted in baseball, going in the 39th round to the Rangers in 2018. He hasn’t played much baseball since his junior year of high school but last year spent time in spring training with Texas and reportedly still is interested in giving baseball a serious shot if the NFL doesn’t work out. He signed a six-year deal with the Rangers.
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