If you're a head coach at the high school or college level with an athletic quarterback on your hands that can't quite cut it as a passer, chances are you've entertained moving the player to the defensive side of the ball as a safety.
Position changes aren't quite as common for players transitioning from college to the NFL as they are at lower levels, but that doesn't mean they don't happen. For years and years the default for most fast college quarterbacks has been to move to safety or wide receiver if they want a chance at making it long term as a professional football player.
As players coming out of school continue to channel the Six Million Dollar Man, we're seeing bigger, stronger and faster prospects than ever before. That appears to be affecting the 2014 NFL Draft, as we're starting to see a number of players who might move from quarterback not to safety or wide receiver, but to tight end.
NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt recently posted his list of the top 15 under-the-radar pro day risers on NFL.com and one name that stood out was Mississippi State quarterback Tyler Russell. The former Bulldogs signal-caller continues to rehab his right labrum after having surgery and was one of a handful of players who did not work out at the school's pro day. Brandt, however, thinks the 6-foot-4, 227-pounder could be a candidate to slide over to tight end at the next level.
He's not the only such player who might make that same move in this draft class.
Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas is a divisive prospect as a signal-caller but continues to intrigue teams with his 6-foot-6, 248-pound frame and 4.61 40-yard dash. Most consider him a likely third-day selection if a team is looking for a developmental quarterback, but a few clubs could be interested in moving him to tight end, as well.
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah said on Monday's edition of Path to the Draft that he's heard several teams actually do have Thomas listed as a tight end on their draft boards and have even mentioned the possibility of the move if he winds up being drafted by them.
It's not terribly surprising teams are thinking about moving him considering Thomas was Rivals' top-ranked *tight end* coming out of high school. He did have a successful career in high school under center, and though he was slated to become a tight end when he arrived at Virginia Tech, he continued to work out as a quarterback for the Hokies from the start.
"I grew up picturing myself as a receiver," Thomas actually told CBS Sports back in 2012.
Thomas is still intent on making the league as a quarterback first and NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell thinks the former Hokies starter is even further along as a natural passer at this stage than Cam Newton was coming out of Auburn. That's a bold statement not likely to be shared by some teams, but whoever ends up picking him in the draft likely has already fallen in love with his potential at one position or the other.
Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch is another player who could transition from throwing the ball to catching it, but his height likely makes him more of an H-back at the next level than true tight end.
This isn't the first time we've heard of similar position switches occurring at the NFL level. After all, probably the most debated move of all time was whether Tim Tebow was actually more of a tight end than he was a quarterback in the NFL.
If the 2014 draft class is any indication though, it's a conversation a lot more teams might start to have as bigger and faster quarterbacks begin to go through the evaluation process.
