Position change for former Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee in the NFL

Former Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee was signed as an undrafted free agent this offseason by the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL as a quarterback. That has not lasted however as reports out of training camp are that the Steelers are experimenting with Plumlee at wide receiver.

Plumlee is no longer a quarterback competing with others on the roster in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, but the one catching passes from them. Plumlee’s athleticism has stuck out since his arrival at training camp from the Steelers in LaTrobe, Pennsylvania. And with depth at the quarterback position and Plumlee third at best on the depth chart, it makes sense why they would try to get Plumlee on the field with a position change.

What were John Rhys Plumlee’s stats at Ole Miss?

Plumlee is a Mississippi native from Hattiesburg where he attended Oak Grove High School. He was rated as the 15th best prospect and 23rd best quarterback nationally in the high school class of 2019 according to On3.

After appearing in nine games as a true freshman at quarterback for the Rebels, throwing for 910 yards and rushing for over 1,000, he was used sparingly his next two seasons after Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin took over. With Kiffin deciding to go with Matt Corral at quarterback and Plumlee being converted into a wide receiver, he opted to transfer to UCF.

John Rhys Plumlee at UCF: Plumlee would start 23 games at quarterback for the UCF Knights who are coached by Guz Malzahn. He would throw for 29 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Just as impressive however is that Plumlee would show his dual threat ability again like he showed at Ole Miss and rush for 1,367 yards in two seasons for the Knights.

With this type of athleticism showcased in both places and not a great interception to touchdown ratio or completion percentage, it is no wonder the Steelers are wanting to maximize Plumlee’s talent at receiver.

John Rhys Plumlee changing positions is a good thing

For Plumlee and his fans, this should not be seen as a bad thing however. The Steelers making an effort to switch position with Plumlee shows that they believe in him. After all, this is the NFL where teams do not even think twice about cutting a player- especially an undrafted free agent like Plumlee that would cost them nothing.