Which player would make the best NFL head coach?

There are many factors that can contribute to the success of an NFL head coach, but the most important may be experience, and perhaps the best way to get that is as a player.

Todd Bowles, Vance Joseph, Jason Garrett, Sean Payton, Anthony Lynn, Jack Del Rio, Doug Pederson, and Ron Rivera all made NFL rosters before cracking the ranks of the league's head coaches.

While we don't really know much about the day-to-day goings-on of each player and whether they exhibit coach-esque traits behind the scenes, here are four current pros who look like they could be running a team from the sidelines in the future.

Thomas Davis

Linebacker, Carolina Panthers

The 34-year-old two-time Pro Bowler is a master of recognition on the field and an accomplished self-motivator off of it.

Davis has gained respect from across the league, winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2014 for his community service work and the Pro Football Writers Association's Good Guy Award in 2016.

In the media, Davis always knows the right thing to say and the right way to say it in order to get his point across without throwing any teammates under the bus. Davis has also had to recover from three ACL tears in three years before making his first Pro Bowl in 2015.

Having flourished under player-turned-coach Rivera, Davis should have the connections and mentors to make the jump to coaching whenever his playing days are finished.

Matthew Slater

Special teamer, New England Patriots

Bill Belichick disciple. Son of Hall of Famer Jackie Slater. Six-time Pro Bowler.

Slater just sounds like a guy who will be around football his whole life.

The 31-year-old is one of the longest-tenured Patriots, playing his entire nine-season career under Belichick. Listed as a receiver, Slater has just one career catch, though his proficiency as a special teamer has equated to a steady spot in Belichick's stable and a yearly trip to the Pro Bowl since 2011.

It`s hard to imagine better experience for a future coach than a lengthy stretch of time under Belichick.

Alex Smith

Quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs

While quarterbacks may seem like obvious choices to be future head coaches, elite stars like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers are just too naturally gifted to relate to a roster of players who aren't all likely to be as talented.

Smith, however, has used a modest set of physical skills to overcome a slew of obstacles early in his career and become a playoff-quality quarterback who has the respect and trust of his teammates.

The 32-year-old has experience in a variety of different offenses and has played under enough coaches to know how to do things right (like Andy Reid or Jim Harbaugh) and wrong (like Mike Nolan or Mike Singletary).

Kam Chancellor

Safety, Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks have been doing something right the last few years, and Chancellor has been a big part of it.

The hard-hitting safety has been one of the more stable leaders on the Seahawks, regularly providing the voice of reason when teammates lose their tempers and playing at a consistently high level throughout his seven-year career.

As a former high school quarterback, Chancellor has an understanding of the offensive side of the ball to go along with his defensive pedigree. Playing under coordinators-turned-head coaches Gus Bradley and Dan Quinn, as well as Pete Carroll, who likes to hire former players to his staff, provides Chancellor with a good opportunity to be a future coach.