Former HS QB Prospect Paolo Banchero Believes Anthony Edwards Would ‘Rethink’ Playing In The NFL After Taking A Hit

There are a lot of professional athletes that began their careers as multi-sport stars before eventually focusing their efforts on one. For many in the NBA and NFL, their high school years were spent playing both football and basketball before locking in on one as their recruitment got serious, but there’s still that wonder as to whether they could’ve made it to the highest level in the other sport.

Anthony Edwards is among those, and he recently insisted that he’d try to go play in the NFL if he won a ring in the next 3-4 years with the Timberwolves — which got a laugh from Vikings star Justin Jefferson. Given Ant’s bravado on the basketball court, it’s not a surprise he thinks he could make the transition to the NFL, but not every former football star in the NBA shares those same delusions of grandeur.

Paolo Banchero was once a state champion quarterback in Washington and had tools that made him an intriguing prospect at the college level, before (wisely) focusing on basketball. In a clip from his upcoming season-long video diary with Andscape, Banchero was asked about Ant’s comments and explained why he has no interest in chasing his old football dreams — while also noting he believes Ant would “rethink” his decision after the first hit he took in the NFL.

I appreciate Paolo having the general awareness to know that his football days are behind him and that the speed and physicality of the NFL game is just wildly different than anything he ever experienced, even playing football at a high level in high school. While Ant thinks he could be a Kam Chancellor type safety that delivers those hits, I think Banchero is probably right that the first time he had to stick his nose up by the line of scrimmage and had a 320 pound offensive lineman blocking him, he’d probably wonder why he left the hardwood — not to mention the first time he saw the difference in his game check.