NFL - NBA Player Comps
Week 1 of the NFL season did not disappoint. I’ve watched more football than I’d care to admit this weekend. With that comes an influx of different thoughts. One of them… Who does each of these football stars remind me of? More specifically, let’s narrow it down to one field. Which NBA player, past or present, do these NFL players remind me of?
Shedeur Sanders - Bronny James. This one doesn’t require much explanation. Their dads are two of the greatest athletes of all time, both being on their respective sports Mount Rushmore. If you changed their names to Shedeur Jones and Bronny Jacobs, do they even get drafted? Both have an incredibly funny college moment. Bronny was once quoted saying he doesn’t want to wear #23 because he wants to be his person. The next game he was introduced as “#0 Lebron James Jr.”. Shedeur famously had his jersey retired this year at Colorado. This him the first ever boarderline .500 quarterback to ever have his jersey retired. Football legends like Andrew Luck and Drew Brees do not have their jerseys retired yet.
Lamar Jackson - James Harden. Both are inarguably talented, respected, electric point scorers. Both guys have added a unique skillset. Jackson: high speed runner who can fling it accurately. Harden: the size-up dribble into a step back jumper. Here’s the unfortunate tie between the two of them, neither can win the big game. Both superstars are snake bitten to the highest degree. Every time it feels like the year it will finally happen, they shrink in the worst possible way. It’s gotten to a point where I feel bad when they lose in the playoffs and I don’t even care about their teams. You just know a blunder is coming when they’re in a playoff game.
Micah Parsons - Chauncy Billups. You didn’t think I was going do one of those ESPN lists where I give only the most obvious examples, right? You might be thinking, “Hunter, Billups was not even close to that kind of elite in his early career”, and you’re right. Billups was a journeyman from 1997 - 2002. Finally, he landed in the right situation. Detroit was exactly where Billups would thrive. They were gritty. They were tough. Billups was a defensive force and someone who gelled the entire team together, the final puzzle piece. Immediately they became contenders and ultimately won one of the biggest underdog championships of all time. Micah Parsons and Jerry Jones never got along. That’s very public information. He’s been a great player, no one can argue that. But, he’s never really meshed in Dallas. I don’t know exactly why that is, but it didn’t seem like the team was built for him or that his teammates loved him too much. Now Parsons is on the Packers. Like Billups, Parsons is exactly what the Pack needs, and the Parsons also needed the Pack. He needs no drama. Now he’s able to play for a team that will let him loose. Haffley’s 4-3 attacking defense is the perfect scheme fit for Parsons. Green Bay has ball hawking safeties who will thrive matched with his quick burst. I know I know, I’m going to get a lot of arguments on this one. But if the Packers become immediate contenders and his defensive ability leads to an unlikely title, don’t say I didn’t claim it here first.
Jared Goff - Derek Fisher. Goff and Fisher both ended up on championship level teams with super-stars and A+ coaches. I’m not sure either were/are really that great. I’ve always acknowledged that sports involve a lot of luck. Who drafts you determines your career. If Patrick Mahomes was drafted by the Jaguars do you think he’d have a Super Bowl? Goff has played for Sean McVay, Ben Johnson, and Dan Campbell. Fisher played for Phil Jackson and with Kobe and Shaq. We’ll never know if either were really as good as we perceive them to be.
Aaron Rodgers - Kevin Durant. Extremely talented. Mentally out there. Horrible PR. Next.
Josh Allen - Chris Paul. We’re all kind of rooting for them to get their ring. Maybe you’ll deny that, but when push comes to shove you know you’d be pulling for them in a big playoff game. They’ve done a lot for the sport. Paul is the Point God. Allen looks like the most physically gifted QB we’ve ever seen. I mean crap, he can run over linebackers and throw a 40 yard dime consistently. The Warriors were the foil to Paul in the same way that the Chiefs are to Allen. Time could be up for CP3. Hopefully Allen doesn’t end up that way.
Derrick Henry - Karl Malone. Both of these dudes are guys that you wouldn’t want to pick a fight with. They exemplified bully ball in their sports. But that’s not where the comparison comes in. I think both will end their careers and live in the history books at the top of the lists for each of their stats. Henry will finish top 5 in most RB stats when he retires. Malone finished #1 in points scored for one team. #2 in career games started. #3 in all time points scored. Ultimately, neither have really done much when it mattered. Both noticeably missing from championship history. I’m not sure Henry will finish that way, but he definitely is following in the Mailman’s footsteps.
Fred Warner - Manu Ginobili. These are two of the most underrated and under-discussed stars from their sports. Warner has been the best off ball linebacker of the 2020’s. He’s everywhere every time you watch a 49ers game. Honestly, he might be the best defender in the NFL. Yet no one really talks about him because he’s simply consistent. Consistency is extremely valuable. Never having a bad moment. Manu was the same way. The guy was hall of fame level player that didn’t ever crack the headlines. He was so good that when you put him on the Argentinian Olympic team he looked like the best player in the world. But his consistency was boring. One might say, why didn’t you choose Tim Duncan for this? I thought about it. But Timmy finished his career as a top 10 player all time. I don’t think that’ll be the case for Fred.
