PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) - Where Sutton Smith lines up for the Steelers is still in question. And he is perfectly fine with it.
Smith, one of the Steelers’ sixth-round draft picks at linebacker out of Northern Illinois, has split time during the two weeks of Pittsburgh’s OTAs at linebacker and fullback.
“I think it’s gone pretty good so far,” he said Thursday. “They want me to learn two positions right now and I think I’m doing really well right now. It’s obviously a learning curve for all the rookies. But I think I’m picking it up well and I think I’ve just got to keep playing fast and can’t leave anything on the field each day.”
The move should not come as a great surprise. Smith was a standout running back at Francis Howell high school in Saint Charles, Missouri. His senior year, he registered 2,456 all-purpose yards and 32 touchdowns.
“I played running back in high school and everybody thought that, because of my stature, fullback could be a possibility,” Smith said. “And I definitely agree. Whatever I can do on the field is what I’m going to do. Whatever they need, I’m going to do whatever coach Tomlin needs and the Steelers organization needs me to do to be successful in this program.”
Moving from defensive end (Smith’s position at Northern Illinois) to running back is not totally unfamiliar. James Conner was a talented defensive end in high school who transitioned to running back at Pitt and, at times, saw time on defense for the Panthers.
Smith seemed to think that this could happen to him, too.
“I just heard from outside scouts early on in my draft process that it was a possibility,” Smith said. “People wanted to work me out at that a little bit. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just another opportunity opportunity for me to go out and seize and do a good job at that.”
Position changes are not totally uncommon, but moving between positions, during a practice, is not something that happens often in the NFL.
“I just have to be athletic, don’t think about it and flip the switch really quick,” Smith said. “Football is football and, if you overthink things, you’re going to play slow.”
Smith has a lot to learn still. If he becomes a fullback, he’ll be the backup behind Rosie Nix. It is highly unlikely that the Steelers would carry multiple fullbacks. If he stays at outside linebacker, he will be the likes of T.J Watt, Bud Dupree, Anthony Chickillo and Ola Adeniyi ahead of him.
So finding a way to rapidly learn two positions could limit his growth at one.
“I don’t think it should stunt anything, at all,” he said. “If anything, it should improve my athletic ability. Honestly, work is work out here whenever we’re doing all the drills. So any kind of running back drills I do are only going to help my feet, help my mobility and movement. So whatever type of work I get in is going to help me on offense or defense.”