Like many NFL fans, Jason Kelce likes it when someone truly unique gets a shot in the NFL. The latest thing piquing his interest is the prospect of a 7-foot athlete becoming a force in the NFL.
In a recent interview with NFL analytics man Ryan Paganetti, Kelce mused if it might be worth it for an NFL team to sign an athlete who’s seven feet or taller as a tight end and just throw goal line fades to him. Paganetti himself asked that question late last month after seeing basketball big man Tacko Fall try out for the Philadelphia 76ers.
“I’ve discussed versions of this with NFL players, coaches and a GM. I know that GM explored a way to test it, and an active special teams coach has shown interest,” Paganetti wrote on X. “When Fall’s basketball situation permits, bring him in for a controlled workout with a real snap, hold and protection unit. Measure what happens before making any roster decision.
“Minimal downside to testing. Potentially enormous upside if it works. One team gets to find out first.”
It’s a question that really got Kelce’s interest. The more the two discussed it, the more he wanted to see what a super tall player would be like in the NFL.
Fans Wanna Know
Kelce wasn’t the only one interested in the idea. But while some fans were eager to see how tough it might be, others pointed to some potential flaws in the idea:
“Imagine your field goal kicker trying to kick against a guy who is 7’4,” one user on X imagined.
“You put a Defensive End to gaurd him and just blow him up at the line of scrimmage so he never makes it to the end zone. A DE would put the guy on the ground near instantly and/be able to push him out of bounds so he can’t touch the ball being the first guy to return to field,” another argued.
“I’ve always said a 7 foot specialist for fades and FG block team would be worth it,” a third wrote.
“Let me tell you how it gets defended. First of all if a guy is 7‘4“ like that or like Victor Wembanyama they’re probably not the most coordinated in a football sense. They’re like Long and wiry. So I think the other team, even though they didn’t have a 7 foot player, they would probably get their tallest guy which was probably like 6 foot seven and just have him shadow the 7 foot guy. And I don’t think catching a football on a corner fade is as easy as people think. This isn’t 5 foot guy versus 10 foot guys. It’s 6 foot guys verse 7 foot guys,” a fourth wrote.
There’s only been one 7-foot player in NFL history – the late Richard Sligh. Morris Stroud was the tallest pass catcher in NFL history at 6-foot-10.
