The Cleveland Browns have made a lot of moves in the last few days. Their nine draft picks and over a dozen undrafted free agents, reportedly, add significant numbers to their roster as they prepare for offseason activities.
Somewhat surprisingly, given the release of Austin Hooper, Cleveland did not add a tight end in the 2022 NFL draft. Instead, they added a couple of undrafted players at the position including former basketball player Malik Smith who was invited to camp to play tight end.
Monday came news of the team signing another basketball to football convert in Marcus Santos-Silva. The team officially announced his signing and noted his basketball achievements in their release:
Santos-Silva (6-6, 261) enters his rookie season in 2022, following a two-year basketball career at Texas Tech (2020-22). Santos-Silva completed his career with 1,244 points, 957 rebounds and 61 blocked shots. He earned All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2022, accruing 175 points, 29 blocked shots and 151 rebounds. The Taunton, Mass. native originally transferred to Texas Tech after three years (2017-20) at VCU.
Antonio Gates is the famous example of a player transitioning from basketball to a successful career in the NFL. Gates played basketball at Eastern Michigan and Kent State before working out for NFL scouts. He signed with the then-San Diego Chargers and excelled at the position.
Unlike Smith, whose addition is still unofficial, the Browns made Santos-Silva’s addition an official signing to the team today. According to one report, he didn’t play football in high school either:
I’m told by my friends at Texas Tech that Santos-Silva didn’t play football in high school, either. https://t.co/LGik7WIwIA
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) May 2, 2022
Update: Perhaps he played as a freshman in high school:
He played football from 7 years old until freshman year of HS, then focused on basketball https://t.co/cigMxotQFh
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) May 2, 2022
An unlikely route to the NFL, for sure, Santos-Silva will be an interesting story during offseason activities and training camp.