Nic Harris making transition from safety to linebacker

Even before anyone had a chance to tell him, Nic Harris is more than prepared to make the switch from safety to linebacker once he gets to the NFL.

Harris, 6-3, 230 pounds, was a solid safety while playing for Oklahoma. But when he was drafted Sunday by Buffalo on the fifth round, the Bills told him they plan on turning him into a linebacker.

It's a move, however, that doesn't bother Harris.

"It's a great opportunity to come out and play,'' Harris said. "I'm just one of those guys that whatever the coach wants me to do, I'm willing to take a shot at it.''

During his junior season two years ago at OU, Harris played so well that he was named first-team all-Big 12 by the conference coaches. And this past year he was fourth on the Sooners in tackles with 75.

Harris spent a lot of his individual workouts showing teams he could play safety with the best of them. And he also spent a lot of time showing other pro scouts he could play linebacker with the best of them.

For now, though, Harris doesn't believe he'll have a difficult time making the transition from safety to linebacker.

"I was one of those guys that would come down to the line of scrimmage and hide behind the middle linebacker to cover pretty much fly guys,'' Harris said of his playing days at OU. "Right now it’s going to be a different transition for me to move to fulltime linebacker.

"But like I said, at the beginning of the day I’m extremely elated for the opportunity to come out and play.''

_ Dwain Price