Top 5: Athletes Who Could Play In The NFL
By J.R.
Current Sport/Team: Track and Field, Jamaican National Team
Height/Weight: 6’5″ 207 lbs
Position in Football: Special Teams Specialist/WR
The most exciting and interesting superstar I would love to see make the jump to football is none other than the 6 time Olympic Gold medalist, Jamaica’s Usain Bolt. ‘The World’s Fastest Man’ is an athlete many have wanted to see on the gridiron since he broke onto the scene in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. No question we would get him in the weight room to put some muscle onto his lanky frame but just how valuable can the world record holder be? For starters he could be used on special teams, either covering punts/kickoffs or returning them he could be electric. All a punter would need to do is put good hang time on the punt and Bolt would be able to run down and probably beat the ball to the returner. Returning punts is a different story, for a guy who usually runs in a straight line we don’t know if he would have the agility necessary break free, but if you gave him a lane nobody is going to catch him. Another area of use Oakland could play Bolt at is Wide Receiver. I don’t expect the Raiders to teach him any complicated routes but instead to just get him the ball in space whether it be on jet sweeps or to just tell him to run deep on a 9 route and have the QB throw it as far as he can. Regardless of where you play Bolt he could be a game changer with the kind of elite speed he possesses. Al Davis would have fallen in love with the speed Bolt has and if he had been a football player you could expect him to be drafted by Al. The Oakland Raiders can always use more speed and Bolt has plenty to burn.