MLB: Top 10 NFL players drafted in baseball

With the NFL Draft all wrapped up, it’s time we take a look at the best football players to be drafted by MLB teams.

There is a rather strong connection between Major League Baseball and the National Football League when speaking in terms of prospects. Many former, and current stars in the NFL were drafted by MLB teams.

The most recent, notable NFL star to also be drafted into baseball was James Winston 0f the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jameis was a 15th round pick out of high school by the Texas Rangers in 2012. While attending Florida State, he was the closer and designated hitter during the 2014 season.

Many players before Jameis have dabbled on the baseball diamond while playing college football, and there’s a good chance many will follow him.

The players on this list were mostly graded on how productive their football careers were, with a small curve to their success on the baseball diamond.

Next: Two Sport Pro

10. OF Brian Jordan

Brian Jordan will go down as one of the best baseball player on this list. In his 14 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, Jordan had a .284 batting average with 184 home runs and 821 runs batted in. He was a first round draft pick by the Cardinals in 1988, and he sure lived up to it.

Brian’s football career was not as big of a hit as his baseball career. He was a 7th round pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 1989 draft, but was cut in training camp.

He played defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons from 1989-1991 tallying up five interceptions and four sacks. The highlight of Jordan’s career was in the ’91 season, where he led the team in tackles and was voted as an alternate to the NFC Pro Bowl team.

Next: Kap

9. QB Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick was selected in the second round by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2011 NFL Draft. At only 28 years old, Kap has accomplished a ton in the National Football League.

He was an NFC Champion in 2012 and came within a few plays of a Super Bowl title that same year. He also holds two NFL records: 181 rushing yards in a postseason game by a quarterback, and a 58 yard run by a quarterback in a postseason game.

Kaepernick was drafted in the 43rd round by the Chicago Cubs in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. He harnessed a 92 mph fastball in high school, and had a 1.26 ERA during his senior season.

Kap had several division one scholarship offers on the table to play baseball, but he took the lone offer from the University of Nevada to go and play football.

Next: A Minnesota Great

8. QB Daunte Culpepper

Daunte Culpepper was a super productive quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings from 1999-2005, and then hopped around to three different teams before retiring.

Culpepper amassed over 24,000 passing yards in his career and 149 TD passes. He was selected to the pro bowl three times, and also made the All Pro team twice. In 2004 he led the NFL in passing yards.

Culpepper was drafted 11th overall in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft. He is most known for his connection with star wide receiver Randy Moss whom he played with in Minnesota. They were one of the most electric quarterback-wide receiver  duos to ever grace the field.

On the diamond, Culpepper was drafted in the 26th round by the New York Yankees in the 1995 MLB draft. He elected to go to college and pursue his football career instead.

Next: The Pretty Boy

6. QB Russell Wilson

It doesn’t get anymore legendary than Russell Wilson. The statistics speak for themselves when referring to his football skills. One time Super Bowl champion, three time pro bowler, NFL Passer rating leader in 2015, and a rookie of the year award to boot.

At only 27 years of age, Wilson has almost 14,000 career passing yards, and over 2,400 rushing yards. He’s thrown for 106 touchdown passes, and only 34 interceptions marking him as one of the most efficient passers in the game.

In 2010, Wilson was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 4th round of the 2010 MLB draft. He never made it higher than single a ball, but was good enough to keep a roster spot for two seasons. Going into the 2012 season, he informed the Rockies that he would be pursuing a career in the NFL.

In 2014, the Texas Rangers drafted Russell in the rule 5 draft and he showed up for his Spring Training invite in both 2014 and 2015.

Next: Dan The Man

5. QB Dan Marino

Dan Marino is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. Drafted in the 1st round of the 1983 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins, “Dan the Man” went on to set numerous passing records that would later be broken by Peyton Manning. The amount of football accolades that Marino possesses could have a slideshow by themselves so we won’t list all of them

He won the MVP of the National Football league in 1984 and made 9 Pro Bowls.

What most non-diehard Dan Marino fans don’t know about him is that he was an incredible baseball player that could have flourished in the MLB had he stuck with it.

He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 1979 amateur draft but did not sign with the club. As a senior in high school, Marino went 23-0 as a pitcher and hit over .500 playing shortstop when he wasn’t pitching.

Next: The Duke of Denver

4. QB John Elway

Fresh off his Super Bowl 50 victory, John Elway comes in at number four on the list. Like Dan Marino, John Elway has earned too many awards throughout his football playing career to list them all.

A few major accolades include two Lombardi trophies as a player, and an NFL MVP award in 1987.

Similar to Dan Marino, Elway was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 18th round of the 1979 MLB draft, and once again by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 1981 draft. John never made it out of Single-A ball, but something tells me he had other things on his mind at the time.

Next: The Golden Boy

3. QB Tom Brady

Tom Brady probably has one of the most storied NFL careers of all time. When all is said and done, he will go down as one of the best to ever do it.

Drafted in the 6th round in 2000 out of the University of Michigan, Brady was the biggest steal in NFL draft history landing with the New England Patriots.

At 38 years young, Tom Brady has four Super Bowl championships, two MVP awards, and just like his predecessors Marino and Elway, too many accolades to list them all.

Former Expos scout John Hughes believes Brady could have been a fine Major League baseball player had his football career not panned out. “You were like, ‘Wow, this kind of fits the bill,'” Hughes said. “He could throw. He could receive well. He was a left-handed hitter who had some pull power.”

The Expos drafted Brady in the 1995 MLB draft, but his heart was with Michigan and football.

Next: Prime Time

2. CB Deion Sanders

Probably one of the fastest guys you will ever see on tape, Deion Sanders is the best cover cornerback to have ever lived.

In 1989 he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round, fifth overall. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Deion totaled 53 interceptions, 10 forced fumbles, and 22 touchdowns from the cornerback position.

Sanders is a two time Super Bowl champion, 8 time pro bowler, and a one time defensive player of the year.

Deions baseball career was interesting to say the least. He was talented enough to make the major leagues as a part time player, and would often leave around mid-season to play football. He was drafted by the Yankees in the 30th round of the 1988 MLB Draft.

His two best, and most impressive moments in his baseball career came in the 1992 World Series, and his 1997 season. He batted .533 in the ’92 World Series with 4 runs, 8, hits, 2 doubles and an rbi. In the 1997 season, he finished second in the NL with 56 stolen bases.

Next: Bo Knows

1. OF/RB Bo Jackson

With the number one spot on our list, we look to no one other than Bo Jackson. Bo had a chance at becoming a Hall of Famer in both football, and baseball before his freak hip injury in 1991.

Bo was the number one overall pick to the Los Angeles Raiders in 1986. During his short three year career in the NFL, Bo rushed for 2,782 yards, 17 touchdowns, and ran for 5.4 yards per carry.

Jackson was also drafted in the 4th round of the 1986 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals who were trying to get all of the crossover starts during this time period.

Over his seven year career, he hit .250 with 141 home runs, and 415 runs batted in.

Next: Fredi Gonzalez to be fired soon

Had it not been for that hip injury, there’s no telling what these numbers could have looked like in both sports.