Former Michigan Quarterback/Receiver Embracing Opportunity With Steelers
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) Some football players display such unique skill sets that it can become difficult for them to ease into a single position.
Many high school players are listed as "athletes" who retain the stature and physical gifts to play on either side of the ball as well as on special teams. Since his teenage years, Devin Gardner has fit this mold.
A tribute to his versatility, Gardner was rated the No. 1 overall high school dual-threat quarterback by Rivals.com in 2010. The 6-foot-4, 216-pounder attended the University of Michigan, where he started 27 games at quarterback in his career. He set program records for passing yards in a game (503) and total yards in a single game (584), both as a junior.
What really made headlines, though, is that he also started a handful of games in 2012 at wide receiver, reeling in 16 catches for 266 yards and four touchdowns.
Over the past year, and, as the 2015 NFL season lurks on the horizon, Gardner has applied that same versatility to a league that many argue has no room for "athletes" or "dual-threat" players.
After a brief stint with the New England Patriots last spring, Gardner was immediately snagged by the Steelers.
Mike Tomlin and Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley tried Gardner out at both wide receiver and quarterback during June workouts last month, and Nick Baumgardner of MLive.com recently reported that the Steelers have told Gardner to continue polishing up his skills at both positions this summer.
The Steelers are very deep at the receiver position and Gardner could compete with Tajh Boyd, Landry Jones and Tyler Murphy for a possible third-string quarterback spot.
Baumgardner writes that Gardner is spending the summer at Michigan's practice facility in Ann Arbor, spending half the day throwing and the other half catching.
"Every day for me is like a game," Gardner told Baumgardner. "I'm just trying to prove myself."