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Originally Posted by Thaak  I don't completely agree with you. While it is definitely a bigger switch than the switches you said could work, the switch from DE to ILB HAS worked before. Also, if you are an intelligent, athletic, football player, you should be able to switch from any position to any position.
It's just that Veikune wasn't smart enough, athletic enough, or good enough of a football player to make the switch. My guess is, that the coaching staff determined he would make a horrible OLB, and thought his only shot was ILB. |
There are an increasingly number of guys being moved from defensive end to inside linebacker, in part to keep up with the surging demand for 3-4 inside backers.
However, those conversion guys usually are late round picks/UDFAs, in part because the transition isn't easy or likely to be a successful one.
Taking Veikune that high to be an ILB was unprecedented. Yes, Bruschi was picked in the 3rd round, but his transition to ILB wasn't planned out from the start, like Veikune's was.