Peter G. Aiken-USA Today Sports
Jimmy Graham and Antonio Gates have turned into two of the best tight ends to ever play the game of football. Ole Miss forward Murphy Holloway is looking to become the next great tight end in the NFL and he will start out his run already having something in common with both Gates and Graham.
All three of them will have entered the NFL after playing college basketball. Holloway was a power forward for the Ole Miss Rebels this year and on Saturday, he was signed by the Baltimore Ravens after not being drafted.
As a senior at Ole Miss, he averaged a solid 14.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, but chose to not even wait to see if he would be drafted or signed into the NBA. His numbers in college were great, but his build is too small to be a big man in the NBA and is perfect to be a tight end in the NFL.
His 6’6, 240 pound frame will give him a chance to exceed in the NFL. Holloway is extremely athletic for his frame and has the strength and quickness to play at a high level of football. If he can adapt to catching footballs from a quarterback instead of basketballs from his point guard, Holloway can make an impact for the Ravens.
It has been done before and there is no reason why it can’t be done again. Holloway looks to join Gates, Graham, and Tony Gonzalez in becoming great tight ends after playing college basketball at the division one level.
