Here is my take on an MLB NFL Roster. We sampled from active players around Major League Baseball and built a full 53-man roster. After taking a look at the player pool, we decided to go with a 3-wide, single back base offense and a base 1-gap, 3-4 defense.
The Criteria
We based our selections off of mainly player history, size, play-style, and just our own personal opinions. After the roster was set, I went through and made the selections for player comparisons. I based my comparison off a few things:
- Size – Matching up using relative size ratios. A small guy in the NBA is a lot different than a small guy in the NFL
- Play-style – Are they known as a stout defender or a leader on the court? And how do those things translate to the NFL.
- Franchise situation – Is there someone at their assigned position that’s gone through a similar roster change?
- Career length – Finding guys who came into their respective leagues around the same time.
- Gut instinct – Does it just make sense.
The Offense
Quarterbacks
| QBs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Joe Mauer | Archie Bradley | Seth Smith |
| MIN | ARI | FA |
| 6'5" 225 | 6'4" 225 | 6'3" 210 |
| Tom Brady | Sam Bradford | Matt Cassel |
There were multiple solid choices for QB for this MLB NFL crossover roster. Obviously, there are multiple guys in the majors that could throw the ball well or played quarterback in high school, but non were as accomplished as our starting QB for this roster, Joe Mauer. Mauer was All-Everything his senior year of high school; Gatorade Player of the Year, USA Today All-USA and Player of the Year, ESPN All-American, and Player of the Game for the All-American Bowl. Mauer threw for 3,022 yards, 41 TDs, 5 INTs, and a 66% completion percentage that senior season. Mauer was committed to play quarterback for Florida State, but ultimately chose baseball and entered the MLB draft, where he was selected 1st overall. While it is definitely a stretch to compare Mauer to the GOAT, his highly touted QB play, leadership skills, MVP, and their similar build left me with only one clear choice. Backing up Mauer is the Diamondbacks’ Archie Bradley. Bradley was another high school standout at quarterback, and like Mauer, had committed to play football in college, this time for the University of Oklahoma. Bradley chose baseball, being selected with the 7th overall pick in the 2011 MLB draft. Rounding out the QBs is Seth Smith. Smith played both baseball and football at Ole Miss, backing up Eli Manning during his time on the football team.
Running Backs
| RBs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bryce Harper | Jose Bautista | Matt Szczur |
| WAS | FA | SD |
| 6'3" 215 | 6' 205 | 6' 200 |
| Le'Veon Bell | DeMarcco Murray | Jerick Mckinnon |
| Jose Altuve | ||
| HOU | ||
| 5'6" 165 | ||
| Darren Sproles |
Running back was a tough spot to fill only because there are a lot of athletic/powerful guys that fit the bill. We start with the Nationals’ Bryce Harper. Harper provides a high level of explosiveness and athleticism, but still can deliver a deceptive amount of power. He also has the swagger needed to really excel at the position. Which brings us to our change of pace back, Jose Bautista. Bautista has the frame, at 6′ 205, and the power to be a big first and second down back, like the Titans’ DeMarco Murray. In this offense, he will be used to gain those tough yards when needed, and will be an excellent blocker in the backfield. We then move to our only running back on this roster with high level experience at the position, the Padres’ Matt Szczur. Szczur played both football and baseball at Villanova University. He played running back for the Wildcats, but also saw time as the wildcat QB and returner, both roles he would play for this roster as well. In 2009, Szczur helped lead the Wildcats to a FCS National Championship, in which he was named MVP, and was named a consensus All-American and CAA Offensive Player of the Year. The last running back of this roster will be our pass catching specialist from the Houston Astros, Jose Altuve. It should be pretty obvious where the Darren Sproles comparisons come from.
Wide Receivers
| WRs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Samardzija | Manny Machado | Charlie Blackmon |
| SF | BAL | COL |
| 6'5" 225 | 6'3" 185 | 6'3" 210 |
| Mike Evans | Larry Fitzgerald | Jordy Nelson |
| Joc Pederson | Denard Span | Andrew Miller |
| LAD | TB | CLE |
| 6'1" 220 | 6' 210 | 6'7" 205 |
| Amari Cooper | Matt Slater | Andre Holmes |
| Billy Hamilton | ||
| CIN | ||
| 6' 160 | ||
| Marquise Goodwin |
We start our wide receivers off with our most successful college football player of the roster, the Giants’ Jeff Samardzija. Jeff was a 2x All-American wide receiver for Notre Dame; his best season coming in his junior year where we caught 77 passes for 1,249 yards and 15 TDs over 12 games. This experience combined with his height, 6’5″, make him an obvious choice as the number 1 recevier for this offense. Starting opposite him will be the Orioles’ Manny Machado. While Machado doesn’t have any football experience, he has the size, 6’3″ 185, and athleticism to play the position; plus, he can catch anything, like the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald. Filling the role of slot receiver is the Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon. While Blackmon did play some football in high school, I mainly slotted him in at receiver for his size, 6’3″ 210lbs, and current center field position. Next up is the young up and comer for the wide receivers, the Dodgers’ Joc Pederson. His youth and size match up perfectly with the Raiders’ Amari Cooper. Next is our special teams expert of the core, the Giants’ Denard Span. Span is a crafty veteran, and has shown the ability to chase down a ball, just like running down on kick coverage. Next up is the Indians’ Andrew Miller. This pick is purely based off height, 6’7″. Miller wouldn’t be much of a contributor, except in the redzone. Rounding out the wide receivers is our return man for the roster, the Cincinnati Reds’ Billy Hamilton. Hamilton is widely considered the fastest man in Major League Baseball, and we would look to capitalize on that in the return game.
Tight Ends
| TEs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Giancarlo Stanton | Paul Goldschmidt | Noah Synderdaard |
| NYY | ARI | NYM |
| 6'6" 245 | 6'3" 225 | 6'6" 240 |
| Jimmy Graham | Delanie Walker | Ryan Griffin |
At 6’6″ 245, Giancarlo Stanton would be a beast of a tight end. Besides his size, Stanton played wide receiver and corner in high school, and received multiple offers to play football in college, including one from Pete Carroll at USC. Next would be the Diamondbacks’ Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt doesn’t have the football experience, having last played the game in junior high, but what he does have is a great combination of size, athleticism, and exceptional ability to field the ball that could make him a great pass catching tight end. Our last tight end is the Mets’ Noah Syndergaard. Syndergaard comes from a “football family” in Texas and has the height to play the position, with a similar build to that of the Texans’ Ryan Griffin.
Offensive Line
| OL | ||
|---|---|---|
| T Aaron Judge | T Kenley Jansen | G CC Sabathia |
| NYY | LAD | NYY |
| 6'7" 282 | 6'5" 275 | 6'6" 300 |
| Taylor Lewan | Donald Penn | Jahri Evans |
| G Miguel Cabrera | C Matt Wieters | T Salvador Perez |
| DET | WAS | KC |
| 6'4" 240 | 6'5" 230 | 6'3" 240 |
| Marshal Yanda | Spencer Long | Duane Brown |
| T Madison Bumgarner | G Miguel Sano | C Pablo Sandoval |
| SF | MIN | SF |
| 6'5" 250 | 6'4" 260 | 5'11" 255 |
| Ryan Schraeder | Brandon Scherff | AQ Shipley |
Offensive line was easily the hardest position to fill out, as there aren’t many 6’5″ 300lb baseball players, but we tried to find those that had the right combination of build and characteristics that would make them a solid offensive lineman. We start with our left tackle, the Yankee’s Aaron Judge. Judge has the size and strength to play down in the trenches. He was recruited as a tight end out of high school, giving him some experience blocking. His young success is similar to that of the Titans’ Taylor Lewan. Starting opposite Judge will be the Dodgers’ Kenly Jensen. Jensen doesn’t have football experience, but has the size to fill the position. Backing them up will be the Royals’ Salvador Perez and the Giants’ Madison Bumgarner. Both chosen based on size, as the most relevant football experience between them seems to be Bumgarner rooming with Seahawks QB Russel Wilson at the East-West Showcase coming out of high school. Moving down to guard is our one 300 pounder of the group, the Yankees’ CC Sabathia. Sabathia had signed a letter of intent to play both football and baseball for the University of Hawaii, but chose to sign pro out of high school. Starting opposite him will be the Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera is on the smaller side, but could be utilized in space as a pulling guard. Backing them up, based on his size and play style, will be the Twins’ Miguel Sano. Lastly, we move down to center. I felt we needed a catcher in this position to be the pay caller of the offensive line. I chose to go with the Nationals’ Matt Wieters. Wieters is undersized for the o-line, at 230lbs, but his 6’5″ frame, similar to that of the Redskins’ Spencer Long, would give him something to build on. Backing him up will be the Kung Fu Panda himself, Pablo Sandoval.
Offensive Scheme Breakdown
There are a lot of play makers on this offense and they have a five star QB to run it. Expect to see Stanton split out wide, trying to gain favorable match-ups. The run game would be an opened-up, zone scheme, trying to utilize the athleticism of the guys up front and minimize the impact of their lack of size. Expect to see a good amount of RPO, using Mauer’s ability to play in space.
The Defense
Defensive Line
| DL | ||
|---|---|---|
| Freddie Freeman | Evan Gattis | Jason Heyward |
| ATL | HOU | CHC |
| 6'5" 220 | 6'4" 270 | 6'5" 240 |
| Joey Bosa | Malik Jackson | Chandler Jones |
| Jayson Werth | Jose Abreau | Joey Gallo |
| SEA | CHW | TEX |
| 6'5" 235 | 6'3" 255 | 6'5" 235 |
| Connor Barwin | Leonard Williams | Derek Barnett |
| Bartolo Colon | ||
| TEX | ||
| 5'11" 285 | ||
| Kyle Williams |
Like the offensive line, the defensive line was difficult to fill out. We looked for a couple big men to put inside at NT in this 3-4 defense, then some athletic, big-hitters that could play a 1-gap style 5 tech. We’ll start on the outside with the starting defensive ends; the Cubs’ Jason Heyward and the Braves’ Freddie Freeman. Heywards 6’5″ 240lb frame should fit right in on the defensive line, similar to the Cardinals’ Chandler Jones. On the inside at nose tackle, we have the Astros Evan Gattis. Gattis’ 6’4″ 270lb body could provide some run support on this undersized defense, comparable to the Jaguars’ Malik Jackson. Backing him up at NT is the Rangers’ Bartolo Colon. Colon will provide run support and a veteran presence, like the Bills’ Kyle Williams. Providing that veteran presence at the DE position will be the Mariners’ Jayson Werth. He will be used situationally, like the Rams’ Connor Barwin. Rounding out the DEs are the White Sox’ Jose Abreu and the Rangers’ Joey Gallo. Gallo, with a raw 6’5″ 235lb frame, proves to be the future premier pass rusher for this front, like the Eagles’ Derek Barnett.
Linebackers
| LBs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Yasiel Puig | Johnny Cueto | Anthony Rizzo |
| LAD | SF | CHC |
| 6'2" 240 | 5'11" 220 | 6'3" 240 |
| CJ Mosley | Mychal Kendricks | Justin Houston |
| Clayton Kershaw | Kyle Schwarber | JD Martinez |
| LAD | CHC | BOS |
| 6'4" 228 | 6' 235 | 6'3" 220 |
| Von Miller | Ryan Shazier | Telvin Smith |
| Joey Votto | Brandon Belt | |
| CIN | SF | |
| 6'2" 220 | 6'5" 220 | |
| Dwight Freeney | Aaron Lynch |
Linebacker was probably the most enjoyable position to scout for this roster. We start on the inside with an easy choice for the hard hitting, overly aggressive mike backer, the Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig. Puig has the size and power to play the position like the Ravens’ CJ Mosley. Starting next to him on the inside is the Giants’ Johnny Cueto, who’s size is comparable to the Eagles’ Mychal Kendricks. Moving to the outside, we have the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo’s size and play style would be similar to the Chiefs Justin Houston. Rounding out the starting backers, playing the role of primary rush backer, will be the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw has the size to play the position, and has experience playing in the trenches, having played center in high school for Lions’ QB Matthew Stafford. If you could transition his baseball skills to skills on the gridiron, Kershaw could be a Von Miller type pass rusher. Backing up Puig at the mike backer position will be the Cubs’ Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber is one of the few with experience at the postion, having played lineback in high school. Rounding out the depth at linebacker is the Red Sox’ JD Martinez, Reds’ Joey Votto, and the Giants’ Brandon Belt.
Cornerbacks
| CBs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Andrew McCutchen | Jacoby Ellsbury | Delino DeShields |
| SF | NYY | TEX |
| 5'10" 195 | 6'1" 195 | 5'9" 200 |
| Patrick Peterson | Stephon Gilmore | Vernon Hargreaves |
| Yoenis Cespedes | George Springer | |
| NYM | HOU | |
| 5'10" 220 | 6'3" 215 | |
| Desmond Trufant | Jimmy Smith |
We start the defensive backs with, to me, one of the obvious choices, the Giants’ Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen not only has the physically ability to play the position, he comes from a football family and was a highly recruited football player out of high school, like the Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson. Starting opposite him will be the Yankees’ Jacoby Ellsbury. Like McCutchen, Ellsbury has the size and athletic ability for the position, and also played the position in high school, finishing his high school career with 9 interceptions and 6 kickoff returns for touchdowns. Playing the roll of nickel back will be the Rangers’ Delino DeShields. DeShields is undersized at 5’9″ but has the speed to keep up with slot receivers and the strength to hang with tight ends, like the Bucs’ Vernon Hargreaves. Rounding out the corners will be the Mets’ Yoenis Cespedes and Astros’ George Springer.
Safeties
| Ss | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mike Trout | Josh Donaldson | Troy Tulowitzki |
| LAA | TOR | TOR |
| 6'2" 235 | 6'1" 210 | 6'3" 205 |
| Earl Thomas | Kam Chancellor | TJ McDonald |
| Chris Davis | ||
| BAL | ||
| 6'3" 230 | ||
| DJ Swearinger |
Safety was one of the easiest positions to translate, as they are often compared to center fielders. We start the safeties off with one of the best players in the game, the Angels’ Mike Trout. Trout not only has the size, at 6’2″ 235lbs, but the athletic ability to be a combination ball-hawk and big hitter, like the Seahawks’ Earl Thomas. Starting opposite Trout will be the Blue Jays’ Josh Donaldson. Donaldson has the power to play down in the box, like the Seahawks’ Kam Chancellor. Donaldson also has experience playing defensive back in high school, setting a school record with 11 interceptions in his senior season. Backing them up will be Donaldson’s teammate Troy Tulowitzki and the Orioles’ Chris Davis.
Defensive Scheme Breakdown
The defense is undersized up front, but has a lot of big hitters. We could see a lot of hybrid fronts, with depth in the secondary and the athleticism in the front 7. Because of the talent in the secondary, the defense could run a good bit of matchup-zone with Trout playing center field.
Specialists and Head Coach
| ST and HC | ||
|---|---|---|
| K Paulo Orlando | P Jonathan Broxton | LS Aroldis Chapman |
| KC | FA | NYY |
| 6'2" 210 | 6'4" 285 | 6'4" 212 |
| Cairo Santos | Sam Koch | Morgan Cox |
| Head Coach | Joe Maddon | Andy Reid |
We’ll start the specialist off with our punter, Jonathan Broxton. Broxton, at 6’4″ 285lbs, seems like an obvious choice for the offensive line, but Broxton was actually a punter in high school and quit football when the team tried to convert him to a lineman. Our kicker, Royals’ Paulo Orlando, was chosen becuase he is from Brazil, which made him an easy comparison with the Jets’ Cairo Santos. Finally we have our teams’ long snapper, and there was no other person I could think of to fire balls back to Broxton than the Yankees’ Aroldis Chapman.
Taking the reins has head coach will be current Cubs’ manager Joe Maddon. He seems similar to the Chiefs’ Andy Reid, though Maddon was able to get his first championship in 2016 while Reid is still waiting.
The Starting 22
| Offense | |
|---|---|
| QB | Joe Mauer |
| RB | Bryce Harper |
| Z | Manny Machado |
| X | Jeff Samardzija |
| Slot | Charlie Blackmon |
| TE | Giancarlo Stanton |
| LT | Aaron Judge |
| LG | Miguel Cabrera |
| C | Matt Wieters |
| RG | CC Sabathia |
| RT | Kenley Jansen |
| Defense | |
|---|---|
| DE | Jason Heyward |
| NT | Evan Gattis |
| DE | Freddie Freeman |
| Sam | Anthony Rizzo |
| Mike | Yasiel Puig |
| Will | Johnny Cueto |
| Jack | Clayton Kershaw |
| CB | Andrew McCutchen |
| CB | Jacoby Ellsbury |
| SS | Josh Donaldson |
| FS | Mike Trout |
Team Breakdown
| Team | # of Players |
|---|---|
| ARI | 2 |
| ATL | 1 |
| BAL | 2 |
| BOS | 1 |
| CHC | 3 |
| CHW | 1 |
| CIN | 2 |
| CLE | 1 |
| COL | 1 |
| DET | 1 |
| HOU | 3 |
| KC | 2 |
| LAA | 1 |
| LAD | 4 |
| MIA | 0 |
| MIL | 0 |
| MIN | 2 |
| NYM | 2 |
| NYY | 5 |
| OAK | 0 |
| PHI | 0 |
| PIT | 0 |
| SD | 1 |
| SEA | 1 |
| SF | 6 |
| STL | 0 |
| TB | 1 |
| TEX | 3 |
| TOR | 2 |
| WAS | 2 |
| FA | 3 |