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2024 Colts Draft: Position Change Players to Keep an Eye On
These players changed positions in college and make a lot of sense for the Indianapolis Colts in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard has a type in the draft. He loves to take chances on rare athletes with immense upside, but recently there has been another asset that he has seemed to value in the draft. Ballard loves players who changed positions at the college level.
For whatever reason, he has had the tendency in recent years to draft players who have played in multiple spots. These moves have been fairly major too, with some players moving to opposite sides of the ball as late as their senior season in college.
There are multiple reasons why Ballard may value players with this background. Maybe he views these players as relatively young at their new position and he becomes entranced by the upside they have with more time. Maybe he likes the versatility of a player willing to go through the change and the football character it takes to stray away from familiarity for the betterment of the team.
Regardless of the reason, Ballard has gravitated towards these players in recent seasons. Nine of his 36 draft selections since 2020 (25%) have been used on players that changed positions at the college level. Some of the more notable names on that list include Bernhard Raimann (tight end moved to left tackle), Jelani Woods (quarterback moved to wide receiver and then moved to tight end), and Julian Blackmon (all-conference cornerback moved to safety as a senior).
So today, let’s look at a handful of prospects who changed positions in college to get ready for the 2024 NFL Draft later this week:
Blake Watson, RB, Memphis
Watson originally committed to Old Dominion out of high school with the intention of playing wide receiver. He made the transition to running back after his freshman season and rushed for 2,144 yards over the next three seasons at ODU. He transferred to Memphis for his final season of play, where he averaged 6.0 yards per carry on 1,152 yards rushing in his final season of college.
Tyrone Tracy, RB, Purdue
Tracy originally attended Iowa out of high school as a slot receiver. He was fairly productive out of the gate for the Hawkeyes, hauling in 36 receptions for 589 yards as a redshirt freshman back in 2019. He later transferred to Purdue late in his career, where he made the transition to running back. He rushed for 716 yards and 8 touchdowns in his final season of play this past year.
Luke McCaffrey, WR, Rice
McCaffrey began his college career as a quarterback, attending Nebraska as a dual-threat option at the position. He struggled to find his footing at the position, throwing 5 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in his career. He transitioned to wide receiver after transferring to Rice and enjoyed a solid final two seasons with the program. He hauled in 131 receptions for 1,732 yards and 19 touchdowns in his two years at the position.
McCaffrey also stood out at the Senior Bowl this offseason at the wide receiver position:
Ainias Smith, WR, Texas A&M
Smith was a true weapon for the Texas A&M program in his career, alternating his time at both wide receiver and running back. He was a bit more productive at receiver, hauling in 180 receptions for 2,407 yards and 19 touchdowns through the air in his career. The additional 405 yards that he added on the ground is impressive though for a player that wore so many hats for a college team (he also shined as a return man at Texas A&M in his career).
Isaiah Williams, WR, Illinois
Williams initially attended Illinois with the intention of playing quarterback. He tossed 4 touchdowns to 3 interceptions while adding over 400 yards on the ground in his first two seasons before making the move out to receiver. As a receiver, Williams finished his career with 2,304 yards and 14 touchdowns while leading the FIghting Illini as a pass catcher in his final two seasons. He also added some punt return ability for the team.
Cade Stover, TE, Ohio State
Tight end prospect Stover began his college journey as a linebacker. He appeared in one game at the position during his redshirt season before making the switch over to tight end. It took him a few years to fully embrace the transition, but he made his mark for the Buckeyes in his final two seasons of play. He hauled in 1,058 yards receiving in his career and added an additional 10 touchdowns as well.
Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas State
RAS champion Sinnott began his college career as a fullback at Kansas State and was one of college football’s best at a dying position. After only touching the ball 16 times in his first two seasons of play, he transitioned to a more prominent pass-catching role at tight end. He exploded for 1,138 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns over his final two seasons at his brand-new position.
Sinnott’s fullback/tight end versatility should bring a ton of utility to the NFL level with teams embracing the sniffer back position:
Trey Knox, TE, South Carolina
Knox initially began his college career as a wide receiver at Arkansas. He spent four seasons as a receiver before making the move inside after he transferred to South Carolina. The move appeared to pay off for Knox, as he hauled in a career-high 37 receptions for 312 yards and 2 touchdowns in his final season of play.
Colson Yankoff, TE, UCLA
Yankoff struggled to find a home at the college level, initially beginning his journey as a quarterback at UCLA. They shifted him out to wide receiver after his sophomore season and then moved him down to tight end in his redshirt year before he became a junior. He spent that off year working on his skills as a tight end, and managed to squeeze out some production at the spot before he graduated. He is a bit of a projection for the NFL level, but he showcased some impressive movement skills at UCLA when he got a chance.
Josiah Ezirim, OT, Eastern Kentucky
An absolutely massive offensive tackle, the 6’6”, 320-pound Ezirim initially began his college career as a defensive tackle. He logged 12 tackles in his first two seasons at the position before making the transition out to offensive tackle. He went on to appear in the final 24 games of his career at offensive tackle, earning All-AUSN honors in the process.
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Tylan Grable, OT, UCF
Elite NFL Combine tester Grable entered Jacksonville State as a tight end initially. He started games at tight end early in his career before he began seeing some snaps on the offensive line. He made the full switch in 2021, earning All-America honors at left tackle. He went on to start 27 games at left tackle for UCF, earning All-Big 12 honors in 2023 for his strong play.
Grable’s testing profile is also exactly what the Colts look for at left tackle:
Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon
Powers-Johnson is one of the top centers in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he initially spent some time at defensive tackle as a freshman in college. He spent one game of his first season at the position before the Ducks opted to move him to the offensive side of the ball. He started games at both guard and center on offense, earning All-Pac 12 honors in each of his final two seasons of play. He won the Rimington Award as the Nation’s top center this past season.
Jalyx Hunt, EDGE, Houston Christian
Hunt is one of the more versatile players in this entire draft. He initially came into college as a 205-pound safety at Cornell University before making the switch to linebacker in 2021. He transferred to Houston Christian the following season and again made a transition to more of a blitzing linebacker/edge rusher. He bulked up tremendously late in his career and now enters this draft as an athletic and powerful edge rusher with a ton of upside.
Justin Blazek, EDGE, Wisconsin-Platteville
Blazek is a fascinating addition to this list, as unlike other entrees he primarily stayed at one position throughout college. He was a dominant edge rusher from day one in college, and that remained all the way up until he graduated. He saw some extended work as a fullback during his final year of college, however, rushing for 4 touchdowns in the 2023 season. He likely sticks at edge rusher in the NFL but that offensive versatility is something to watch out for.
Steele Chambers, LB, Ohio State
The greatest name in the history of football began his college career as a running back at Ohio State. He rushed for 221 yards and a touchdown in his first two seasons of play before making the full switch over to linebacker. He started the last two seasons for the Buckeyes, racking up 208 tackles, 13.0 tackles for a loss, and 3 interceptions in his career on defense.
Brian Abraham, LB, Albany
Abraham is another small school prospect that played everywhere at the college level. He initially committed to Yale as a cornerback to start his playing career, and spent his five years at the program playing everything from corner to safety to off ball linebacker. He transferred to Albany as a senior and added another position to his resume; edge rusher.
This do-it-all defender checks so many boxes for Ballard in this draft:
Kris Abrams-Draine, CB, Missouri
Abrams-Draine began his college career as a wide receiver for the first five games of his freshman season. The Tigers quickly switched him to cornerback going into his sophomore season, and the talented defender never looked back. He became a mainstay in the Tigers’ defensive backfield, totaling 136 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, and 7 interceptions in his college career.
Cam Hart, CB, Notre Dame
Massive cornerback Hart committed to Notre Dame with the intention of playing wide receiver. He spent a little bit of time at the position during his freshman season before ultimately switching to cornerback. He may still be a tad raw at the position, but he locked it down at corner to close out his college career. He finished with 90 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, 17 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions in his college career.
Sione Vaki, S, Utah
Vaki is one of the more fascinating prospects in this draft class, as he spent each of his two seasons at safety for Utah in college. An elite running back in high school, the Utes found ways to utilize Vaki on offense during his final season of play in 2023. On top of starting on defense, Vaki rushed for 317 yards on 7.5 yards per carry as a running back to close out his career.
Vaki’s size and background as a running back cold make him a fascinating option at kick returner this upcoming season in the NFL:
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