Travis Kelce explains why LeBron James could ‘1,000 percent’ play tight end in the NFL: ‘His athleticism just translates so well’

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is one of the best tight ends in the NFL.

The Super Bowl champion weighed in on whether or not Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James could play tight end in the NFL on J.J. Redick’s The Old Man and the Three podcast.

James revealed that he was offered NFL contracts during the NBA’s lockout back in 2011.

“1,000 percent man,” Kelce said when Redick asked him if James could play tight end in the NFL. “His athleticism just translates so well onto the football field. Not a lot of — the one thing that I’ve experienced being in the tight end room in Kansas City is we’ve actually had three, four guys come into the building as basketball — from just playing like straight college basketball and trying to make the transition into the tight end room cause the skill sets match up so well.

“The biggest thing that I’ve seen is just guys in basketball are always on their toes, even when they’re sprinting, they’re on their toes, they’re not really taking big strides. And that’s one thing that I’ve seen out of LeBron. His strides are enormous when he’s running. And he knows how to play with acceleration, deceleration and things like that to kind of have his own tempo throughout the game.

“I think all of that stuff would translate perfectly onto the field. He’d probably just be the LeBron James of the NFL instead of the LeBron James of the NBA.”

James is clearly one of the most gifted athletes in the world, and Kelce’s praise shows just how highly others think of him.

The Lakers certainly are glad James is still playing in the NBA as he helped lead the team to an NBA title during the 2019-20 season.

James and the Lakers will look to get back to that level during the 2021-22 season with a revamped roster.