In a span of less than five years, Richard Sherman has transitioned from collegiate wide receiver to star professional cornerback.
Wide receiver Doug Baldwin, Sherman’s teammate at Stanford and with the Seahawks, was asked Sunday about Sherman’s initial move to cornerback in 2009.
And did Baldwin’s response ever paint a picture.
“To be honest, when he first switched over he was awful, he was terrible,” Baldwin said Sunday, according to an interview transcript from the NFL. “He couldn’t backpedal, he couldn’t track the ball, and he didn’t really try to quick jam, because he would get lost at the line of scrimmage.
“We had wonderful coaches at Stanford, they kind of honed in his skills, made him focus more on the details and then when he got here he kind of blossomed into amazing defensive back that he is now.
“He never in his mind had doubt that he would be one of the greatest, he’s always said that he was going to be one of the greatest whether he was going to be a receiver or a defensive back. I had no doubt in him as well because I know how hard he works.”
Sherman showed enough in two years at cornerback at Stanford to be invited to the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine. The Seahawks selected him in Round Five in the 2011 draft, and it’s worked out quite well for player and team, to say the least.
But to hear it from Baldwin, there were some tough moments early.