Los Angeles pitcher Shohei Ohtani is in the process of making Major League Baseball history. Dubbed by some as the best two-way player since Babe Ruth, Ohtani was the winning pitcher and leadoff hitter for the American League in Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game.
Two-way players in baseball are extraordinarily rare, as Ruth was the last player to pitch 100 innings and have 200 plate appearances in a season, which was nearly 100 years ago. In football, though, they’re less rare (albeit still uncommon).
And according to former Jacksonville and current Baltimore Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell, Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack could be the NFL’s version of Ohtani if given the chance.
The player I believe could dominate both sides of the ball in the NFL like Ohtani does in MLB is none other than Myles Jack @onemangang97 @RealMikeRob @MJAcostaTV @NFLTotalAccess
— Calais Campbell (@CalaisCampbell) July 13, 2021
Jack is inarguably an incredible athlete, and it wouldn’t be the first time in his football career he’s been asked to play on both sides of the ball. In college at UCLA, Jack saw a healthy amount of action at running back in addition to being a starter at linebacker.
In three years he saw 68 carries for 387 yards and 11 touchdowns, and though Jacksonville hasn’t tried to implement his skill set on offense, it’s not necessarily off the table.
The closest we’ve seen would be his fumble and interception returns, which have flashed some of the moves that led the Bruins to use him on offense in college after being a versatile threat in high school.
ohmygawd he on x games mode https://t.co/wYk2qkYIr4 pic.twitter.com/1mlGcBaXWQ
— Gus Logue (@gus_logue) July 14, 2021
He has 97 fumble return yards on his career for one touchdown, and that doesn’t include the yardage he would’ve received had his controversial fumble recovery against New England in the 2017 AFC Championship not been called back.
Given Jack’s importance to the defense, it’s highly unlikely we see Jacksonville risk his health to give him opportunities on offense. But for a former defensive teammate to give Jack those kinda props, it just goes to show how talented he is.