The 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament kicked off on Thursday with their first games. With that, Pro Football Focus decided to take a look at ten of the best NFL players who also competed on the basketball court. PFF's list was geared toward selecting the top NFL player with a basketball background, not the NFL player with the best college basketball career. They based their list of players' performances last season, not throughout their careers.
Sitting atop the list at No. 1 is Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson, who was a part of Northern Colorado's basketball and football teams.
The best photos of wide receiver Vincent Jackson.
"As a walk-on forward, Jackson notched a career-high 18 points against Rutgers in 2004, and nabbed 11 rebounds against Denver earlier that same season," PFF wrote. "He received NCAA Division-I All-Independent second-team honors that season, as well."
If looking for the NFL player with the best college basketball career, that would likely be Chargers tight end Antonio Gates. At Kent State, Gates averages 20.6 points per game during the 2002-2003 season after appearing in the Elite Eight the year before.
Gates is No. 2 on PFF's list, followed by Packers cornerback Quintin Rollings, Seattle tight end Jimmy Graham and Packers linebacker Julius Peppers, in descending order. For two seasons, Peppers was a member of North Carolina's basketball teams, averaging 5.7 points per game.
For Pro Football Focus' complete list, click **HERE**.
