(1090 The Fan) – Thanks to the growing popularity of the NFL Draft, sports fans across the nation will but their enthusiasm for baseball on hold for the next few nights.
There have been several big-name NFL players who have also been selected in the (less-dramatic) MLB draft and some who have even spent time playing professional baseball before their NFL careers took off.
In The Bleacher Report’s article, 10 Current NFL Stars Who Were Also Taken in the MLB Draft, Joel Reuter brings you up to speed with the baseball roots of some of today’s NFL stars.
We know about Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson‘s opportunities with the Baltimore Orioles (41st round in 2007) and the Colorado Rockies (4th round in 2010). And most of us in the region know former Husky quarterback (currently with the Tennessee Titans) Jake Locker was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in 2006 and in 2009.
One athlete who may have definitely been an impact player in the MLB is Seahawks receiver Golden Tate. The standout football and baseball player at Pope John Paul II High School in Tennessee would play both sports at Notre Dame. It’s just one season, but it would be interesting to see what Tate and his speed could have done on the big league diamond after the performance he had as a sophomore for the Fighting Irish: .329/.399/.14 with 13 steals in 222 at-bats.
Tate put down the bat and glove after that season and focused solely on football.
To see all ten players mentioned, check out the article here.
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