At the NFL combine, teams evaluate draft prospects hoping to see how they might fit or not fit on their team. Sometimes that involves testing them at different positions.
Many players at the combine this year have been asked to do drills at different positions. Players don’t have to, and some don’t. Sometimes it is not to potentially change their position but also to look at a different skill set.
There were 11 offensive players at this year’s combine asked to do drills for a different position. Let’s look at who and why.
Josiah Deguara
Deguara, a tight end, was asked to do running back drills. At 6-foot-2 and 242 pounds, he is a little smaller than the traditional tight end. At least one team probably sees him as a potential fullback.
Dalton Keene
Keene, a tight end, was also asked to do running back drills. This one is interesting because he has traditional tight end size at 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds. It sounds like a team uses its tight ends in the backfield at times like a fullback. The Cardinals do this, as does Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians.
Charlie Taumoepeau
Also a tight end, he was asked to do running back drills. At 6-foot-2, he is smaller than some tight ends, so again, it might be to use him as a fullback or a team who uses tight ends like fullbacks.
Chase Claypool
The Notre Dame receiver was asked to do tight end drills. he is large for a receiver at 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds. The Arizona Cardinals are familiar with converted receivers as tight ends. They have had Ifeanyi Momah, Ricky Seals-Jones and Darrell Daniels, all of whom were receivers in college, at least to begin. Dan Arnold moved from wide receiver to tight end as well.
At least one team sees the potential of that for Claypool.
Antonio Gibson
Gibson was listed as a receiver at Memphis as is a receiver at the combine but he was asked to also do running back drills. It makes sense. He played running back at the Senior Bowl. He had 33 rushes for Memphis in 2019 to go with his 38 receptions. at 6-foot and 228 pounds, he is built more like a running back that a receiver.
Malcolm Perry
Perry played quarterback for Navy and enters the draft as a receiver. He was asked to do running back drills as well. He is 5-foot-9 and 186 pounds, so it is likely a team looking to see what role he fills best. He ran the ball 295 times for more than 2,000 yards as a senior for Navy. He caught 22 passes while in college.
Joe Reed
Reed is a receiver out of Virginia. He was also asked to do running back drills. At 6-foot and 224 pounds, he also is built more like a big running back. He only had 34 rushing attempts in four seasons at Virginia.
Salvon Ahmed
The Washington running back was asked to do receiver drills. he only had 50 catches in college. For running backs, it likely isn’t a case where a team is looking to play him elsewhere. It could be a team who likes to flex backs out wide like the Cardinals do.
Raymond Calais
The Louisiana-Lafayette running back was also asked to run receiver drills. He is built like a running back and only caught 17 passes while in college.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire
The LSU running back was asked to do receiver drills. He is certainly built like a running back but his receiving production increased from 11 in 2018 to 55 in 2019.
Anthony McFarland
The Maryland running back was also asked to run receiver drills. He only had 24 catches in two seasons for the Terrapins. But like with the others, a team who likes him might want to see if he is versatile enough to run receiver routes. Cardinals RB Chase Edmonds, when he was getting ready for the draft, did only receiver drills in his Pro Day to show his versatility.
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