Don't laugh at the Indianapolis Colts. Maybe they found some success with tight end Mo Alie-Cox, but general manager Chris Ballard has decided to try the same thing with Carson Towt. Alie-Cox and Towt, you see, never played college football, but both were basketball players instead.
Alie-Cox played college basketball at VCU until Ballard made him one of the first moves he had in his tenure as GM. The signing wasn't completely weird. Other teams had signed basketball players and turned them into decent NFL contributors before. Is Ballard the first to do it? Maybe.
The issue is that some fans are going to see a trend for Indianapolis. Before Ballard was hired, the team signed former Miami Hurricanes basketball player Erik Swoope in 2014 and hoped he would become, well...whatever he would become in the NFL.
Indianapolis Colts sign full-time basketball player Carson Towt
He spent three seasons with Indy, actually started six games as a tight end, caught 23 passes, and scored four touchdowns. He was probably better than anyone expected, and the same is probably true of Alie-Cox.
Is that latter ever going to lead the NFL in receiving yards? Of course, not, but he turned out to be a pretty good blocker and even led the league in rebounds one season. (OK, that last part is a joke, but let's double down, shall we?)
Maybe Towt will lead the NFL in rebounds, too. After all, he spent seven years in college (that isn't a joke), becoming one of the most productive rebounders in college basketball history. He began his long career at Northern Arizona and then spent last year with Notre Dame. He averaged 8.8 rebounds a game in his career, which, frankly, if he never does anything in the NFL, is pretty impressive.
No guarantee exists that Carson Towt will ever be part of the active roster. The 6'8" and 250-pound player might not ever be able to transition from basketball to football. He can box out, sure, but can he block? Chris Ballard hopes so.
Of course, maybe Ballard wants to break the mold and use Towt as an edge rusher or kick returner. Just because the player has gone from one sport to the next doesn't mean he has to be a tight end. In fact, thinking any random basketball player who can rebound well can be a decent TE is likely an offense to tight ends in general.
For Chris Ballard's sake, hopefully Carson Towt doesn't look silly. Otherwise, Ballard could. That might make for one more step toward the Indianapolis Colts eventually firing the general manager.