John Rhys Plumlee wants to tamp down on the talk that he may switch positions now that the Steelers signed him as an undrafted free agent. He’s a quarterback.
True, Plumlee can maneuver like a tailback. After all, he gained more than 1,000 yards running against SEC defenses during his freshman season at Ole Miss. He also can run routes like a receiver. But he sees himself as a quarterback, first and foremost. He finished his career at Central Florida where he could throw and run.
Plumlee gave his thoughts on a potential position switch this week during an interview with Steelers Takeaways.
“I felt like Pittsburgh committed more to me being able to play quarterback,” Plumlee said. “They expressed that they believed I was a quarterback and that I fit their system, and would give me that opportunity.”
The Steelers start rookie minicamp on Friday, so that coaches can get a first glimpse of all the draft picks and free agents. They’ll have Plumlee there as a quarterback. Plus, the Steelers also invited former Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec to rookie camp. But coaches want to see him as a tight end. Jurkovec’s last game as a quarterback was back in early October. The one-time top-100 national recruiting prospect then switched positions.
With both Plumlee and Jurkovec in town, Taysom Hill keeps coming up in conversation. Hill is the former BYU quarterback who now is more of a utility player with the Saints. He can line up under center or as a tight end. Plus, he can do stints as a gunner on the punt team.
Plumlee says he doesn’t mind the comparisons. “I take it as a compliment,” he told Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers reporter Brian Batko. “Taysom Hill is an extremely athletic guy, and I think when people talk about me and him, they are kind of giving me a compliment saying that I am athletic.
“Man, I will take being called an athlete any day of the week,” he said. “But as far as which one I love pursuing, I love pursuing quarterback. I feel like I am a quarterback and I have an opportunity to be a really, really good quarterback.”
He’s QB4 with the Steelers. Pittsburgh, after hiring new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, rebuilt the quarterback depth chart. The Steelers signed Russell Wilson, then traded for Justin Fields. They also brought in Kyle Allen as a reserve QB. Last year’s quarterbacks are elsewhere. Pittsburgh sent Kenny Pickett to the Eagles via trade. They allowed Mason Rudolph (Titans) and Mitch Trubisky (Bills) to sign with other teams.
Plumlee is looking forward to meeting all the other new Steelers quarterbacks.
“I’m excited to be able to showcase that at the highest level in a quarterback room that has some really, really awesome names,” he said. “Excited to learn from those guys and be around them. Super excited about the opportunity.”
Plumlee started his college career at Ole Miss, where he played both baseball and football. After losing his starting spot to Matt Corral in football, he transferred to UCF for his final two seasons.
Smith seems to be looking for a certain style of quarterback. He obviously likes mobility. Plumlee rushed for 1,023 yards his freshman season at Ole Miss. While in Oxford, he also saw the field as a receiver and in other special offensive packages.
Although Plumlee can play more than one position, Pittsburgh announced him as a quarterback. In his career, he completed 464 of 760 passes for 5,838 yards and 34 touchdowns. Last season, he was 161 of 256 for 2,271 yards and 15 TDs.
NFL.com ranked Plumlee as the 12th-best quarterback available among the undrafted rookies-to-be. Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed topped the list.
Coincidentally, Lance Zierlein, a draft analyst for NFL.com, likened Plumlee to Hill. Zierlein wrote that the quarterback has “gadget potential.” He added that “Plumlee’s passing tape probably won’t be enough to get evaluators excited,” Zierlein said. “But an outside-the-box evaluation creates more intrigue.”
Color Steelers fans intrigued.
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