Report: Multiple NFL Teams Want Lamar Jackson to Work Out as a Receiver

NFL teams want college football’s most electric quarterback to change positions.

Bill Polian apparently isn’t the only one who thinks Heisman-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson should play a different position in the NFL. 

Multiple NFL teams have requested Jackson to work out at wide receiver at this week’s combine, NFL Network’s Peter Schrager reports. (Jackson has never played receiver.)

Jackson, however, told reporters Friday afternoon that he was never asked to play receiver. 

Lamar Jackson, making it as clear as humanly possible. pic.twitter.com/v7K8sQwf3J

— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) March 2, 2018

Jackson beat out Deshaun Watson and Baker Mayfield to win the Heisman in 2016 and finished third in the voting in 2017. In his final college season he passed for 3,660 yards with 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while adding another 1,601 yards rushing on just 232 attempts and 18 rushing touchdowns. 

One of Polian’s criticisms of Jackson was that he’s too “short” and “slight.” At the combine on Thursday, Jackson was measured at 6' 2 1/4" and 216 pounds, or about the same size as Andy Dalton. 

The other knock you hear against Jackson as a quarterback is that he completed too few of his passes. Indeed, his 59.1% completion rate in 2017 was below Sam Darnold’s (63.1%) and Josh Rosen’s (62.6%) but Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, who has draw comparisons to Carson Wentz and is being talked about as a potential No. 1 pick, completed 56.3% of his passes last year.