Well, yes... I personally don't see why not.
I mean, of course I've had feelings for my friends at some point. Whenever I first meet someone new, one of my very first thoughts are: "When are we gonna get engaged? Where will we buy our house? How many children will we have and what will their names be?"
That's just instinct. You see someone single and attractive, you want a chance to make something happen. Absolutely. That's human. But it's a feeling we have to control if we want to keep that person close to ourselves as "only friends".
If we only get close to someone with the sole purpose of dating them, that's not friendship. We get close to someone in order to get to know them. To see if we can form a meaningful bond. To be friends. As I said, not everything has to be about sex. If my lady friend is fun to be around, a good company, understands me, helps me through tough times and vice-versa, that's wonderful! Why would I want to ruin this beautiful friendship by trying to get inside her pants?