Prince Shembo's road to the NFL hasn't been easy. He was accused of sexual assault in a very unfortunate incident, no matter how you interpret it. As a result, his draft status suffered. He did get drafted, though he wasn't selected until the 4th round. Then, as Vaughn McClure details in his training camp preview, the Falcons basically changed his position.
Rookie fourth-round pick Prince Shembo was switched from outside linebacker to inside linebacker, and the coaches believe they can mold him into a capable replacement for Weatherspoon. Shembo has the talent, but even he admitted it will be a quite an adjustment from what he did at Notre Dame.
At the end of the day, Shembo is still a linebacker. The basics are all the same. But they're asking him to fill some pretty capable shoes. Without Sean Weatherspoon, one of the Falcons' inside linebacker spots appears tenuous. It's on Shembo to change that.
Shembo has already taken the first step. The Falcons saw something they liked in the pre-draft process, and he obviously showed the coaching staff something they liked during OTAs. Had he not, they wouldn't assume he can replace Weatherspoon.
Your thoughts? What are you looking for from Shembo during training camp? Does he have the starting job locked up, or does he have something to prove?