5 NFL superstars who could've played a different sport ft. Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray

The NFL has always been filled with some of the best athletes in the world. Many players haven't just excelled at football, but could have played other sports professionally as well if they chose to.

Looking back at the multi-sport athletes that went on to become NFL superstars, a common theme is quarterbacks who were formerly baseball players with major league talent. Here are five such players from NFL history that fit this description.

5 NFL stars who could have played a different professional sport

#5 - John Elway

John Elway at the 1998 All Star Celebrity Home Run Derby.

John Elway was selected in two different MLB Drafts, demonstrating his ability as a professional baseball prospect as a shortstop.

He was selected in the 18th round of the 1979 MLB Draft before improving all the way to the second round of the 1981 Draft, when he was selected by the New York Yankees. He played one season in their minor league system.

Elway was a top rated prospect in both football and baseball while attending Stanford University, playing both quarterback and shortstop. He used his multi-sport talent to his advantage when he was selected by the Baltimore Colts with the first overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft.

He threatened to leave the Colts to play baseball if they didn't trade him and it worked, as he landed with the Denver Broncos, where he would win two Super Bowls on his way to the Hall of Fame.

#4 - Tom Brady

Tom Brady throwing out the first pitch.

Tom Brady was selected in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos out of high school to play catcher.

Brady declined to join the team and instead attended the University of Michigan, where he switched his primary sport to football. The rest is history, as Tom Brady went on to have arguably the greatest career of any NFL player of all time.

5 NFL players who could have played a different professional sport

#3 - Russell Wilson

Texas Rangers Russell Wilson press conference.

Russell Wilson played excellent defense at multiple positions on the baseball diamond in high school before settling in as a second baseman at NC State University. He played both football and baseball for three years before transferring to Wisconsin University, where he focused on just playing quarterback.

In the 2010 MLB Draft, Wilson was selected in the fourth round by the Colorado Rockies. He played for two years in their minor league system before being chosen by the Texas Rangers in the 2013 MLB Rule 5 Draft.

He was eventually traded to the New York Yankees in 2018 and they still currently own his rights if he were to leave the NFL and decide to return to baseball.

#2 - Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes at a Kansas City Royals game.

Patrick Mahomes was a top pitching prospect in high school, throwing a mid-90s fastball, and many scouts thought he would follow in the footsteps of his father, who had a successful MLB career.

Mahomes was drafted in the 37th round of the MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers, but instead chose to attend Texas Tech to play football and baseball. Mahomes appeared in just one game as a freshman pitcher before leaving baseball to shift his full attention to being a quarterback.

#1 - Kyler Murray

Oakland Athletics Kyler Murray.

Kyler Murray was a superstar in both football and baseball while attending Oklahoma University. He is so much of a standout player that he is the only athlete in sports history to ever be selected in the first round of both the MLB Draft as well as the NFL Draft.

Murray was on the fence about what he wanted to do moving forward and almost attended spring training with the Oakland Athletics.

After winning the Heisman Trophy and eventually being selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the first overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, he stuck with football instead.