Edmonton Oilers fans always marvel at Connor McDavid’s abilities as a hockey player, but one has to wonder if the best player in the sport can crack it in another league like the NFL.
During a recent episode of New Heights, a podcast hosted by current NFL’er Travis Kelce and his brother, former NFL’er Jason Kelce, pondered this possibility as they debated whether or not McDavid would be able to be successful in playing American football.
“You think a guy like McDavid, who’s the fastest thing on f–king ice, could play receiver or running back?” Travis asked. “He kind of weaves like a running back when he’s on the ice. He’s got the vision for running back.”
“He does. He’s got the elusiveness, but it’s hard to gauge,” Jason responded. “Skating is so different. I’ve seen guys that skate incredibly well, and then you see them run on a field, and it’s just not the same. Not that they aren’t athletic, but it’s just an entirely different muscle group that you are activating in ice skating than when you are actually running. But the elusiveness is there, the twitch is there. Maybe.”
Watching any clip of McDavid flying down the ice for a scoring chance certainly makes for a compelling case that he could make it as a running back. That position mainly emphasizes ambiguity and strong mobility while having a strong awareness of defensive schemes to exploit weaknesses. The most successful players can do all of this consistently, stay as durable as possible, and maintain an elite level for several seasons, which sure seems like something McDavid could do if he opted to pick up a football instead of a hockey stick growing up.
Later in the segment, the Kelce brothers debated whether Oilers legend Wayne Gretzky also could have made it in the NFL. There were some reservations at first from Jason but that changed when they watched an old video of Gretzky soundly beating Pelé, Bjorn Borg, and Sugar Ray Leonard in a 100m sprint.
“You know what? I’m going to say he could’ve done it,” Jason declared.
Although it is difficult to properly assess how the likes of McDavid and Gretzky can translate their on-ice skills to the gridiron field, it certainly makes for a fun thought experiment. It also makes you wonder who else, both past and present, may have had the tools necessary to be successful in the NFL. Getting some insight from two guys who have spent many years in the league and also are interested in hockey makes for a unique perspective.
You can watch the entire segment and the full episode down below:
