National Football League

Rookie Shaquille Riddick not worried about switching positions

Published May. 11, 2015 4:21 p.m. ET

foxsports

Arizona Cardinals fifth round draft pick Shaquille Riddick will be making the switch from defensive end in college to outside linebacker in the NFL.

Riddick seemed extremely confident in the move to OLB when asked about it at the Cardinals rookie minicamp on Friday.

"It's not that big of a deal," he told reporters. "It's just something different that I've just got to keep practicing. You know, the more practices you get, the better you're going to get with things. So, it's just more reps and more practice with it.

"I'll be all right. I'm athletic enough to do it, so I've just got to keep practicing with it."

Riddick seems to know what needs to be done to be a productive linebacker for the Cardinals.

"You know, I played D-line in my stance most of my career; (I'm) working on getting off just as fast in a two-point stance and just working on my hands and improving everything when it comes to my pass rush," he said.

Not only will Riddick be learning a new position, but he will also need to learn a whole new playbook.

"When I first (saw) it, I thought it was a lot (of material)," he said of the Cardinals' defensive playbook. "It was just how we were getting it (thrown) at us, but when we started running reps on the field and getting to practice it after doing it, it wasn't as much. I never really have a problem learning things, so it seemed real simple after I got my grasp over it."

(h/t Arizona Sports)