What's this say CMD?
Baylor basketball star Rico Gathers gets 24 teams at workout
By Jon Schlosser
Posted on April 25, 2016
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Jeff Moffett/Icon Sportswire
Rico Gathers is trying to make the switch from basketball to the NFL, a move multiple tight ends have made successfully in the past. That doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to work for him, but teams are definitely interested. He’s having a workout today, with a few days left until the draft, and reports show that 24 teams are coming out to see what he can do.
Their interest makes a lot of sense from a physical standpoint. Gathers is 6-7 and weighs in at 275 pounds, so he looks the part. Physically, he could step into the NFL and be fine. He used to be a receiver in middle school, but he switched to basketball in high school and never looked back—until now.
Gathers was known as a good rebounder and won All-Big 12 honors. That also bodes well for his time in the NFL, as he could use that ability to go up and get the ball in traffic as a receiving tight end. He also has the size to block, though it stands to reason that he’d need more work on that part of the game, coming from a low-impact sport like basketball. Other tight ends who played basketball before joining the NFL—like Jimmy Graham—have typically been far better at catching than blocking.
Gathers originally wanted to do workouts with the Baylor football team, but the basketball season got in the way. His private workout was set up to replicate everything he would have done at the Combine or a pro day. Reports also indicate that he’s dropped 10 pounds to become faster, so teams are very interested to see how he projects to the next level. He’s a raw talent, so, though he could be drafted late, he may turn into a steal if he develops well.