An interesting trend may be developing in the NFL.  Tony Gonzalez was one of the first to use their basketball talents on the football field.  This was on a very small scale, as Tony Gonzalez was a football first type of player.  But with the success of big Athletic Tight-ends, Pro Football Teams may be looking at College Basketball teams to bolster their roster. 

Think about it for a minute, all of the league's best Tight-ends are not your father's tight ends.  It's a position that is becoming less and less about blocking, and more and more about opening up the passing game.  Most college basketball players will not make it to the NBA.  There just isn't enough roster spots to keep everybody happy, and what can these great athletes do.  The guards and most small forwards aren't big enough to succeed in the NFL, and most Centers are too unathletic to fit in. 

Power forwards on the other hand, have great size, Great power in the paint, and often have speed to burn from running up and down that court.  Many Tight Ends currently in the league play a little basketball in their spare time, and the position of choice, is of course Power Forward. 

With a few years of development, a team committed to bringing a player like this into the league could find themselves a phenomenal Tight End who has never played a snap of college ball. 

Teams are already starting to catch on, and the Vikings have brought in Ed Nelson, Connecticut's Senior Power Forward who could be signed as a street Free Agent, because he is ineligible for the draft.  The Chiefs and Browns are also courting this attractive prospect. 

Could this be a new trend in the NFL.  With so many colleges de-emphasizing athleticism at the Tight End position, many NFL scouts may start looking into the ranks of college Basketball to bring in players with great athletic ability to revolutionize the NFL.