In college at Auburn, Onterio McCalebb played running back, becoming one of only two players in SEC history with more than 2,000 yards rushing, 500 yards receiving, and 1,000 yard returning kickoffs.
And he wasn’t drafted.
The Bengals signed him, with an eye toward making the 4.34-in-the-40 speedster into a cornerback. While he’s still listed as a cornerback after spending most of the last two years on the practice squad (he has appeared in one career regular-season game), McCalebb is getting a new opportunity in Cincinnati.
During last month’s mandatory minicamp, the Bengals switched McCalebb from cornerback to receiver. And that’s apparently where he will be when training camp opens.
“The transition to corner maybe was not as smooth as we had hoped,” Bengals receivers coach James Urban told Bengals.com, via Mark Inabinett of AL.com. “But he’s a great kid who can run, and it’s obvious he’s natural with the ball in his hands since he’s played offense his whole life. Let’s see what he does at training camp when everybody is starting from square one.”
McCalebb is far from square one in his NFL career. Eventually, he’ll run out of practice-squad eligibility, which means that, at some point, it’s up or out for McCalebb.