Looking at LeBron James' high school football stats and how big he could've been in the NFL

Appearing on ESPN's "Monday Night Football" broadcast with Eli and Peyton Manning, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James revealed a shocking story that almost happened in the NFL. As it has been known to the sports world, LeBron James was also an incredibly talented football player coming up in high school. With his elite combination of size and speed, there was even discussion of whether James could have made it to the NFL.

Last night, Eli Manning took the opportunity to ask James if the rumors were true about Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones offering LeBron James a contract during the 2011 NBA lockout. LeBron not only agreed, but he went on to admit that Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll had reached out to LeBron about joining his team as well.

It's always easy to speculate that a star player in one sport could have "easily" been a dominant player in another professional sport. Historically, we've seen some of the best athletes in the world become dominant players in multiple sports. Players such as Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, who both excelled in football and baseball. There's even been plenty of players in the NFL who have played college basketball for the majority of their sporting careers.

How Good of a Football Player was LeBron James?

LeBron James at 2021 NBA All-Star Game

That's the question we all have to come around to once we enter this discussion. Was LeBron James a legit football player? Or are we just watching a 6'9" freak of nature run over high school kids? The truth is that LeBron's numbers in high school compared to some of the best NFL players are pretty amazing. Former NFL star Calvin Johnson was a player with similar "freakish" measurements when it came to height and speed. Johnson was a WR for the Detroit Lions and was one of the most dominant players in the NFL. In high school, Calvin Johnson finished his junior year with 40 receptions for 736 years and 8 touchdowns. Johnson went on to play collegiately at Georgia Tech before becoming the 2nd overall selection in the 2007 NFL Draft.

If we compare those numbers to LeBron James while playing his junior year of football at St. Vincent-St. Mary, you could be surprised. James would finish that season with 57 receptions for 1,160 yards and 16 touchdowns. It's always important to remember that the situation could always be debated. Some will say that the competition might have been harder one way or the other. Others could argue that James was a taller player, which made his life easier at the high school level. If LeBron were to have tried to play in the NFL, odds are he would have been considered a tight end, much like former basketball standout Antonio Gates.