32 NFL Wide Receivers and Their American Idol Audition Songs

The NFL Divas were kicking off their cleats and breaking out their pipes over the weekend in front of America’s favorite referees. One receiver from each team was selected to try his luck at an American Idol audition. Below is a list of the songs each player sang and a quick recap of the judges responses. You never know, but one of them might just be the next Kelly or Carrie, or even Adam or Clay or Justin Guarini!

1. Larry Fitzgerald – Nobody Does it Better (Carly Simon) He nailed it. The judges we’re throwing him complements left and right and he caught all of them.

2. Donnie Avery – Hello, Goodbye (The Beatles) Avery nailed the first verse, then hurt himself attempting a dance move and never recovered.

3. Michael Crabtree – Pay me My Money Down (Bruce Springsteen) Crabtree wouldn’t sing right away. He tried to work a deal with Randy to send him through based on a video from his college a cappella group. 2 hours later, he sang, impressed the judges, and made it through anyway.

4. T.J. Houshmandzadeh – Fool in the Rain (Led Zeppelin) “Thank you for trying,” is all Simon had to say. Seacrest liked his neon green shoes.

5. Roddy White - Pretty Fly for a White Guy (The Offspring) – They loved his obvious talent and style, but they asked him to sing one more to showcase his range. He sang I Need You (America), nailed it, and hugged Matt Ryan in the lobby when he made it through.

6. Steve Smith (Car) – Crazy on you (Heart) Steve brought a guitar and rocked out Nancy Wilson’s siiiick intro.  Randy Loved it Dawg.  Simon said it felt forced and he wouldn’t let him through, so Steve went bat sh*t crazy on him and jacked him right in the v-neck.

7. Marques Colston – Don’t Pass Me By (The Beatles) He sang well, showed range, and really looked the part. But for whatever reason, the judges were skeptical. They let him through on raw ability, said he could be a dark horse.

8. Antonio Bryant – 15 minutes (The Strokes) He looked the part and sounded good for a few seconds, then his voice gave out.

9. Johnny Knox – The Best of What’s Around (Dave Matthews Band) Simon said no, but Kara and Randy thought he was good enough so they let him through. He then sprinted to Hollywood in 4.2 seconds.

10. Calvin Johnson – Help! (The Beatles) He nailed it. Best one of the day they said. Off camera, Calvin was seen begging the Idol staffers to find him a job or a straight up trade for Randy. Said he’d do it right now, no questions asked, wouldn’t even have to fly back to Detroit.

11. Donald Driver – Keep on Keeping On (Curtis Mayfield) Good vocals, but “too vanilla,” said the judges. Not flashy enough for this type of competition.

12. Sidney Rice – I Owe It All to You (Barry White) Sid kept thanking the man upstairs for letting him be here today, which later turned out to be Favre in the 4th floor waiting room.

13. Miles Austin – Zero to Hero (From Disney’s Hercules) The judges were skeptical about a Disney Song, but Austin crushed it. Then he just kept singing more Disney Songs: Under the Sea, A Whole New World, Can you feel the Love Tonight? And they could definitely feel it. The judges loved him and they put him through. Roy Williams was secretly mad.

14. Steve Smith (NYG) – The Other One (Grateful Dead) They thought he already sang earlier.

15. DeSean Jackson – Gimme Three Steps (Lynard Skynard) DeSean changed the words to gimme thirteen steps or you gonna get F@#$!! torched, which Randy loved dawg. He said “Do your thing dawg.” DeSean sang it beautifully right up until the end and then, yep you guessed it, he spazzed out on the high note and hurled himself into wall and failed to score his ticket to Hollywood.

16. Santana Moss – Reminiscing – (Little River Band)  Judges said he sang it way too fast. He swore he just had a bad day and said he used to be good. No Dice.

17. Brandon Marshall – You Cant Always Get What You Want (Rolling Stones)  Marshall wanted to be on So You Think You Can Dance, not Idol, so he wouldn’t even sing his song, he just hummed it. Then he took off his shoe and punted it. Then he walked out. He doesn’t know or care if he made it or not.

18. Dwayne Bowe – Physical (Olivia Newton-John) – Bowe was pounding Red Bulls and NO-Xplod to get pumped up for his big moment. Then he got caught lip-synching.

19. Darrius Heyward-Bey – Hands (Are Small I know) (Jewel) Darrius was pitchy. He had no rhythm, no style, and no soul. He really dropped the ball here, but apparently, the judges loved his speedy upbeat tempo and they let him through on potential.

20. Vincent Jackson – Bigger than My Body (John Mayer) The judges concluded that his voice was just average and definitely not bigger than his body. Rivers offered to sing a duet with him next year to help his chances.

21. Andre Johnson – The Sound of Silence (Simon and Garfunkel) The judges thought he nailed it, but they wanted him to really showcase his talent. They suggested You’re the Best Around (Joe Esposito) instead. Andre sang it perfect, did a crane kick, and scored a ticket to Hollywood. Simon said AJ could win the whole competition.

22. Mike Sims-Walker – Feel Like Makin’ Love (Bad Company) Sims-walker missed his audition.

23. Reggie Wayne – It’s My Turn (Diana Ross) Marvin Harrison followed Wayne to the stage to sing the harmony, but Reggie told him not to worry this time. He sang it solo, killed it, and won his ticket to Hollywood. Harrison nodded at Simon and said, “Good thing you put him through, Cowell,” then patted the gun shaped object he had concealed in his pocket.

24. Kenny Britt – You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet – (BTO) The judges agreed. Good vocals and looked the part. They sent him through.

25. Derrick Mason – Running on Empty (Jackson Browne) Mason didn’t want to be there but his friends and family begged him to stick it out. He was good, not great. He may or may not try again next year.

26. Chad Ochocinco - I want you to want me (Cheap Trick) Chad showed up in a banana costume and sang the Cheap Trick classic into a T-Pain voice synthesizer app on an iPhone. He also brought an OCNN camera crew and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra to accompany him while broadcasting the whole performance live on U-Stream. Then he challenged Randy to a bass competition and raced another horse.

27. Josh Cribbs - Take it to the House (Trick Daddy) The judges loved it, but they wanted to see if he could handle another song. They suggested Pay the Man. (The Offspring)

28. Hines Ward - I can’t stop Smiling (Velocity Girl) Hines was excellent. He nailed his song and the judges put him through. Then he threw a crackback block on Seacrest and walked out smiling.

29. Terrell Owens – I’m the World’s greatest (R. Kelly) He dropped the rhythm a few times but sang it well overall. Randy said he liked it because he felt like he meant what he was singing, but Simon didn’t, so T.O. sat down and cried and pleaded his case while he knocked out a few crunches.

30. Teddy Ginn Jr. – Livin’ on a Prayer (Bon Jovi) Ginn was terrible. No one was sure who even picked him to audition. Davone Bess, Greg Camarillo, or even Brady Quinn would have been a better choice.

31. Randy Moss - Sometimes (I Run, Sometimes I Hide) (Britney Spears) He crushed it, then turned down his ticket to Hollywood, then hustled out of the room, then walked to the elevator.

32. Braylon Edwards – Do You Really Want To Hurt Me (Culture Club) “Yes,” replied both Simon and surprise guest judge Lebron James. Soon after, Braylon attacked Simon’s 5’6 130 pound “kid” friend Ryan Seacrest after telling him he couldn’t sing and punched him in the mouth. Sources say Braylon was growing jealous of Simon’s grip on the reality TV industry or something. Lebron then told him he’d see him in NYC next year.