Antonio Gates, Julius Thomas, and Jimmy Graham all came from basketball backgrounds and went on to become top NFL tight ends. VCU’s Mo Alie-Cox is hoping to follow in their footsteps. The 6’7″ forward will be working out for teams on Tuesday, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport writes. 
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“The interest is widespread,” agent Joe Flanagan said. “Twenty clubs are already confirmed to be sending reps, with multiple tight end coaches.”
What makes Alie-Cox particularly interesting is that he is not draft eligible and can be signed by any team. Alie-Cox was “eligible for the 2016 NFL Draft and has remained a free agent since the conclusion of that draft,” a league spokesman confirmed to Rapoport.
Alie-Cox will perform typical pro day drills, then will open up the floor for teams to have him perform other drills, including drills that would showcase him at other positions. There’s no guarantee that the VCU product can make the transition from the hardwood to the gridiron, but more than half of the NFL’s teams are at least curious to see what he has to offer.