Washington's Shaq Thompson has drawn most of the attention as the primary two-way prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft, with proven ability at both running back and linebacker. But while Thompson has shied away from the two-way label, Tony Lippett seems to be embracing it.
It appears there is nothing close to a consensus among NFL clubs about what the right position is for the former Michigan State star.
"A lot of teams like me as a corner, a lot of teams like me as a wide receiver," Lippett said, according to mlive.com. "It's basically 50-50, so, I don't know."
Three teams that have interviewed Lippett: the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans.
According to MSU coach Mark Dantonio, teams shouldn't have to choose one position or the other for Lippett. Dantonio believes Lippett could make an NFL roster with a role on both sides of the ball.
Lippett spent most of his college career as a wide receiver, frustrating Big Ten secondaries for more than 2,000 yards, including 1,198 with 11 touchdowns last season. But late in the year, Dantonio played Lippett at cornerback, and made mention of his pro potential at the position in doing so. Wednesday, Lippett went through drills for both positions at Michigan State's pro day, and showed impressively as a receiver. But Dantonio sees more than receiving skills, and so do NFL scouts:
"I heard one scout say he has hawk awareness. He can pick the ball up at the blink of an eye and determine where it's going and pick it," Dantonio said. "I really think today opened a lot of people's eyes."
Two-way players in the NFL are awfully rare, but if a club were to employ Lippett with a role on both sides of the ball, even as a reserve, it would provide a unique option when it comes to substitution situations and, perhaps even more importantly, flexibility in case of injury.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
