Virginia Tech WR Dyrell Roberts Moved to Split End

Virginia Tech senior Dyrell Roberts was moved from flanker to split end Monday, where he'll likely be the No. 2 behind senior Jarrett Boykin. He had been battling for the playing time at flanker with senior Danny Coale and junior Marcus Davis.

The move is a smart one for the wide receiver corps as it spreads out the Hokies' depth. However, it is somewhat strange that Roberts was the one moved and not Davis. I wrote back during the spring that Davis seemed better suited for split end because of his size and athleticism.

Davis is more of a home run threat than Roberts and, as someone pointed out during our discussion on The Twitter about it, split ends often need to be more physical than flankers. Flankers run more short and intermediate routes and if they can make someone miss, can turn it into a big play.

This is especially true on screens, which often go to flankers. Meanwhile, split ends often have to go up for a jump ball against a defensive back. That seems like it's more Davis' territory.

A reason for the move could be that Boykin is going to get most of the snaps at split end and therefore, they want Coale and Davis at flanker, where the playing time will be split more evenly. It will also be interesting to see what combinations the coaches send out there when they play three wide receiver sets.