Patrick Mahomes names current NBA player who could play in NFL

During the ESPN broadcast of the game, play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch said that Mahomes had told him and his broadcast partner Hubie Brown something interesting about Thunder forward Luguentz Dort during a timeout. Mahomes apparently said that he believes Dort could play in the NFL, possibly as a linebacker.

Mahomes is probably not far off. Dort is 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds with an over 6-foot-8 wingspan. That is comparable to someone like San Francisco 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, who stands 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds. Dort is also known for his physical brand of defense, so it is pretty easy to imagine him helping to anchor a front seven.

Granted, Dort, at $16.5M per year on his Thunder contract, is already making more annually than all but three current NFL linebackers (Warner, Chicago’s Tremaine Edmunds, and Baltimore’s Roquan Smith). But the LB comparison from Mahomes is probably more flattering than the other comp that Dort once received.