It's not all that surprising to hear that the Dallas Cowboys will be shifting former Notre Dame offensive tackle Zack Martin inside to guard after taking him with the 16th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. As far as position switches go, that is a fairly common one in the NFL and several other draft picks figure to make the same move over the coming months.
Outside of the offensive line, however, changing a player's position immediately after they're drafted isn't a super common occurence. NFL Media analyst Charles Davis thinks it should at least be on the radar for a pair of the Kansas City Chiefs picks however.
"De'Anthony Thomas is going to be a slot (receiver), a running back, return kicks -- we're not sure what his position will be," Davis said on NFL Network's "Path to the Draft". "He came out of high school and a lot of people recruited him as a defensive back. He could convert to a slot corner. With his quickness and ability, that would be a move that could be beneficial to him. He might end up having a longer career."
The talk of Thomas playing defensive back does indeed trace back to his days at Crenshaw High in Los Angeles. While he was a dynamic, playmaking threat on offense as a prep star, Thomas also was a hard-hitting safety who dabbled at corner as a junior and senior. He stuck to the offensive side of the ball at Oregon, but a number of folks still insist he has the skills to make it as a corner at the highest level.
"He's going to standup as an outside linebacker," NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. "I think it's an obvious move for him since he's undersized. When you watched his college tape, you saw him play with his head over the tackle quite a lot. He just doesn't have the size or bulk to hold up at end.
"It's not a real dramatic move to go from defensive end to outside linebacker, but it's a good one for Dee Ford."
The Chiefs defense is certainly hoping so and that's big reason why they took the Auburn star in the first round. Thomas figures to be used primarily as a replacement for Dexter McCluster -- who signed as a free agent with the Tennessee Titans -- in the team's offense, but one would think coaches will keep his corner skills in the back of their minds and at least put them to use on special teams.
Follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter @BryanDFischer.
