First and foremost, I’m contrasting apples and oranges. Most NFL players would struggle in the NBA, and vice versa. I am a huge fan of both basketball and football, and I’ve always wondered who is more athletic: NBA players or NFL players.
Let me give you an example of athleticism: anything you see during a workout. Simply put, speed, strength, agility.
Except for athletes like LeBron James, I’ll try not to be biased, but I’ve always admired the raw physical tools of NFL athletes and thought that, in general, the NBA pales in comparison.
In short, NFL players are more athletic than NBA players because football necessitates more athleticism and less technical skill. NFL players are also more specialized in their roles and are much shorter, so the athletic bar is much higher. In addition, the draft combines provide data that supports this claim.
But, without further ado, let’s get into the meat of the matter and explain why we believe NFL players are more athletic.
Football Requires More Athleticism and Less Technical Skill
To be elite in football, you only need to do a few things and do them exceptionally well. It’s extremely specialized.
Offensive linemen don’t need to catch, throw, or run because they don’t have 40-inch verts. They only push people for a few seconds at a time. Running backs have to run, catch, and block more than anyone else, but they are too short of throwing, passing, shooting, or doing anything else.
Basketball is difficult because it requires you to put everything together.
Every player must be capable of playing both defense and offense and running, jumping, pushing, dribbling, shooting, passing, and catching.
You need to consider endurance and play for 82 games and minutes at a time.
No problem if you can’t catch in football; you simply play defense. The number of interceptions dropped in the NFL astounds me, as cornerbacks are frequently unable to catch balls that strike them in the chest.
Most quarterbacks, even if they have some of the aim, passing, and decision-making skills required in basketball, aren’t athletic enough to dunk on anyone.
Because of Their Reliance on Athleticism, NFL Players Have a Shorter Career Trajectory
The average NFL player’s prime occurs in their early to mid-20s, with the exception of quarterbacks, kickers, and punters, who are more skill-based positions and thus follow a longer career trajectory more akin to the NBA or MLB.
By the time they reach 30, their athleticism has deteriorated, and they are on their way out of the league. The majority of championship teams are made up of players in their mid-twenties.
Most players reach their prime in their late twenties and early thirties in the NBA. Furthermore, the best players usually have two primes (athletic prime in the late 20s and skill prime in the early-30s).
Most championship teams are made up of players in their late twenties and early thirties.
In other words, it takes an NBA player closer to a decade in the league to reach their full potential.
At the end of the day, what does this mean? The same conclusion applies here: the NBA is more skill-based, whereas the NFL is more athletic-based.
NFL players only have to play for a few seconds at a time
…and their responsibilities are more specialized.
The types of athleticism and training used in the two sports are vastly different.
When you play in the NFL, you explode for 10 seconds and then wait about 40 seconds for the next play. You also get 10-20 minute rests when possession switches.
Basketball allows you to be on the move for 8-12 minutes with much less stoppage and a faster overall game pace.
Furthermore, basketball’s constant deceleration and direction change, as opposed to football’s much more specific movements or actions, allows you to focus on learning to do one thing exceptionally well.
NFL Players Are Much Shorter, So the Athletic Bar is Higher
Because height is super important in the NBA, many of the world’s most athletic athletes are artificially disqualified from ever playing in the league.
Only one player on the 2021 all-star game roster was under 6’2″. None of them were shorter than 6′.
The NFL has a much wider range of sizes among its players. The NBA (like any professional sport) has some outstanding athletes. Still, because they focus primarily on very tall people, they’re drawing from a smaller pool, missing out on some exceptional athletes who are a little shorter and replacing them with oafs who are taller.
If you’re super athletic, the NFL will find a place for you whether you’re short, tall, lean, or very muscled.
Analyzing Combines for Draft Prospects
Looking at the results of something the two sports have in common, combines for draft prospects, is one way to try to solve this. The majority of the workouts at each combine are different, but a few are similar, such as the standing vertical jump and the 40-yard dash vs. the 3/4 court sprint.
Vertical jump numbers
Let’s begin with the vertical jump figures.
Prospects have both a standing and a running vertical jump at the NBA combine. (side note: a player’s running vertical is, on average, 6.029 inches higher than his standing vertical at the last combine). At the NFL combine, there’s just a standing vertical jump.
After seeing the vertical jump numbers, I had only one thought: I wish the NFL had a slam dunk contest. The Slam Dunk Contest is one of my favorite sporting events to watch, and you don’t need NBA skills to win.
Size, length, and athleticism are all that are required. And after comparing these athletes’ vertical jumps, I can’t help but imagine how incredible it would be to see NFL players put their talents on display. The NFL’s statistics are astounding.
Harrison Barnes set the record for the highest standing vertical jump at the NBA combine in 2012, with a jump of 38 inches. The standing vertical jumps of 18 players from the most recent NFL combine were higher than 38 inches.
The highest vertical ever? At the 2005 combine, Gerald Sensabaugh had a jaw-dropping 46-inch vertical jump. In fact, 46 inches is higher than Kenny Gregory’s 45.5-inch record for the highest running vertical in NBA history. I’m confident Sensabaugh could hit 50 miles per hour while running.
The most impressive aspect of the NFL’s statistics is how well they stand up to the test of time. Mario Williams, who stands 6’6 and weighs 290 pounds, has a vertical of 40.5 inches. Scott Fujita, Calvin Johnson, and Vernon Davis are all over 235 pounds and have a 42-inch vertical.
Not to mention former NFL defensive back Cameron Wake, a unique individual. He can get his head a whopping 10 feet and 0.5 inches off the ground in a single jump without the need for a running start.
I’m guessing Wake’s standing reach is around 8’3 after looking at the NBA combine standing reaches of players close to 6’3 (standing reach isn’t measured at the NFL combine). If that were his standing reach, Cameron Wake would touch the rim on a 12-foot hoop without a running start. Seriously. He was that incredible.
Again, I really wish I saw some of these guys compete in a dunk contest because it would be unforgettable. After scoring a touchdown, a player will occasionally dunk the ball over the 10-foot crossbar. Let’s not forget that they’re carrying around 30 pounds of gear. These guys are truly amazing.
Speed numbers
Speed results can also be used to compare athleticism between the two.
This is where things get a little more complicated. They don’t run on the same surfaces, and they don’t cover the same distance.
At the combine, NBA players run a 25-yard (75-foot) dash. NFL players run a 40-yard dash, but they’re handed a 10-yard advantage (which I don’t believe is official).
We can estimate the player’s 25-yard dash time by adding the 40-yard dash time and the 10-yard dash time and dividing by two. Likewise, you can get the same answer by multiplying the 10-yard dash by half the time it’s required to run the remaining 30 yards.
Keep in mind that this method benefits NFL players. The majority of the acceleration happens in the first 10 yards, but not all of it (In Usain Bolt’s 10-meter splits, however, the difference in average speed from 15 to 25 meters is only 119 yards per square foot).
They are also running on different surfaces. I’m not sure if running on the hardwood with basketball shoes or turf with football cleats is easier.
However, the combine 40 is run on turf, and the 40-yard dash is much easier to run on grass than turf. So if it is easier to run in football, the gap is narrowed because combine 40s are on turf.
Let’s take a look at the results from the most recent combine (results from WalterFootball):
3.0296 is the average 25-yard dash estimate among 34 wide receivers.
Is that a good number?
Well, the fastest 3/4-court sprint at this year’s NBA combine was 3.08 seconds, set by Miami’s Shane Larkin. These are, of course, only estimates. The running surface may have favored NFL players slightly.
Because the NBA has fewer players than the NFL, and the NBA combine has fewer players than the football combine, the NBA has fewer players who can break 3.08 seconds.
And only guards/LeBron James-type players have a chance of breaking a wide receiver’s time.
Despite this, you can’t help but wish that the fastest player at the NBA combine had a faster time than the average receiver at the NFL combine. It’s yet more proof that NFL players are superior to NBA players.
Lastly, NFL Players Sometimes Compete in Track and Field Sports
The only other evidence is that more NFL players have competed in track and field events at the Olympics than NBA players.
I’m not aware of a single NBA player who has competed in an Olympic sport (other than basketball), and you see more football players than basketball players who ran track in college. Many players in the NFL have at least dabbled in the Olympics.
Donald Driver could clear a 7’6 bar and was a world-class high jumper. Marquise Goodwin and Jeff Demps were the Olympic track and field team members. Margus Hunt held the world record for the longest shot put, and discus throws at the Junior Olympics.
Comparing NBA and NFL players is akin to comparing apples and oranges. However, there are ways to compare them in certain physical characteristics. If nothing else, I believe this analysis proves one thing: the NFL needs a slam dunk contest.
Conclusion
It’s pointless to compare “athleticism” because every sport or position in a sport has an ideal body type.
Those with a body type appropriate for a particular sport or position have an advantage over those who do not.
Michael Phelps, for example, has almost the ideal body type for swimming: long arms, short legs, large hands and feet, and a long torso. He’d be a terrible gymnast, too.
