ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Jim Caldwell didn't hesitate for a second. The Detroit Lions coach was asked what position, if nine-time Olympic gold-medalist Usain Bolt wanted to play football, he would play.

"Probably at receiver," Caldwell said. "You know, he's 6-5. I don't know what he would time out in a 40, but it's probably somewhere around 4.1, something or another, right? So, it's unheard of; it's just a matter of whether or not he can catch."

Bolt's measurements -- 6-foot-5, 207 pounds -- would make him an incredibly intriguing player. Bolt's height and weight are comparable to some of the NFL's best-ever wide receivers, including Randy Moss and a guy Caldwell knows well, recently retired Calvin Johnson.

Not that Bolt, the world-record holder in the 100 meters, has expressed any interest in trying the NFL. He hasn't. But it's an interesting question to ponder.

Caldwell, who ran track in high school and has been a lifelong fan of the sport, rattled off several of players who made a transition from track to football, including John Carlos, Bob Hayes, Renaldo Nehemiah and Willie Gault.

Caldwell is one of many within the Lions organization who has a fondness for track and field. Lions receiver Marvin Jones said watching Bolt run against his former Cal teammate, Jahvid Best, gave him more of an appreciation as to how fast elite sprinters are.

And Caldwell himself made sure to catch the broadcasts of Bolt running when he could -- although he was coaching the Lions on Thursday night when Bolt won the gold medal in the 200 meters.

"Incredible athlete," Caldwell said. "Pretty special guy. They don't come along like that very often, and you knew even in the relay that if they didn't have a 10-meter lead that he was going to catch and run down whoever was in the lead.

"But obviously, I think they came out about the same, tied, so it was over with pretty quickly."

As for Caldwell's own track career? Well, he wouldn't say what events he ran, but this 2010 story from the Janesville (Wisconsin) Gazette said Caldwell was a sprinter at Beloit Memorial High School and once finished third in the Wisconsin state track meet in the 400 meters.