Russell Wilson is one of the best athletes at his respective position in the entire world of sports. The 32-year-old is a premier quarterback in the NFL, but he still believes football isn’t even his best sport.
Out of college, Wilson had the option to pursue a professional football or baseball career. He eventually went with football, which turned out to be a prudent choice, but Wilson just admitted he’s better on the diamond than on the football field.
Russell Wilson is an elite NFL quarterback
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Russell Wilson wasn’t considered a top QB prospect coming out of college. The 5-foot-11 NC State and Wisconsin product was considered too short to thrive in the NFL. Wilson dropped to the third round of the 2012 NFL draft before the Seattle Seahawks took a chance on him with the 75th overall pick.
All Wilson did as a rookie was throw for 3,118 yards and 26 touchdowns, lead the Seahawks to an 11-5 record, and make the Pro Bowl in his first season in the NFL. Oh, and the next year? He just led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory as a 25-year-old.
Now in year nine, Wilson has established himself among the elites at the quarterback position. He’s made six Pro Bowls in eight seasons, thrown for over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns every year, and has never had a losing season as a pro.
Wilson has already thrown for 3,685 yards and a career-high 36 touchdowns through 13 games in 2020. The Seattle QB is right in the thick of the MVP conversation as we approach the postseason. So much for being too short to succeed in this league.
Wilson could’ve been a successful baseball player
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Russell Wilson wasn’t just a star quarterback growing up. He also played baseball at a high level before he decided to pursue a career in the NFL.
Wilson played third base at NC State for three years in addition to running the offense for the football team. He was drafted in the 41st round of the 2007 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles, but he decided not to sign with the team while he decided on his future.
Three years later, Wilson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies. He went on to play two seasons in Colorado’s minor league system where he batted .229, hit five homers, and totaled 26 RBIs in 93 career games.
When he heard his name called in the 2012 NFL draft, Wilson decided to bail on the MLB and take his chances in the NFL. A wise choice, it turned out.
Russell Wilson says baseball was always his best sport
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Wilson might be one of the best quarterbacks in the world today, but he still believes he was a better baseball player growing up. The star QB appeared on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast and made a bold statement about his baseball game.
“I always feel like baseball was actually my best sport,” Wilson said. “Baseball was actually my love. I played that since I was young. That was probably the sport — was probably one of my best sports… I guess God had different plans for me. Now I get to spin the rock and throw deep go balls to our guy DK Metcalf.”
Not too bad of an alternative.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
