Anthony Edwards insists he could tackle Derrick Henry. The Ravens RB isn't so sure.
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards isn't just confident he could make the transition to the NFL — he believes he could go toe-to-toe with the league's best players.
In ESPN's recent cover story featuring Edwards and Minnesota Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson, Edwards said if he wins a ring in the next few years, he's going to switch to playing pro football.
Jefferson's response? "You're not going to football ... Y'all gonna get hit, and y'all be like, 'Oh no, this not for me.' Going back to basketball."
But Edwards insisted, saying he could take down Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry in the open field. Henry leads the league this season in rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. According to Fantasy Pros, he also leads the league in yards after contact, meaning he's tough to bring down.
Henry is one of the biggest and most powerful backs in the league at 6-feet-2-inches and 247 pounds. Edwards is listed at 6-foot-4 and 225, making him a tweener — likely too tall to play safety but too light to play linebacker. In the ESPN interview, he compared himself to Kam Chancellor, the hard-hitting Seattle Seahawks safety who was part of the famed Legion of Boom in the early 2010s. Chancellor was listed at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds in his playing days.
Henry was asked about Edwards' assertion on Wednesday.
"Everybody's got an imagination," the running back said. "Everybody's imagination always goes in their head the way they want it to."
Jefferson, for his part, believes he'd have no problem stepping onto an NBA court. Edwards disagreed, saying, "It's too much skill."
As part of the ESPN story, Jefferson and Edwards recreated an iconic photograph featuring former Minnesota sports superstars Randy Moss and Kevin Garnett.