And that means a guy who wasn’t good enough to be drafted at his most comfortable position must impress his coaches at a new one — in only four preseason games.

However, that’s the spot that Williams and a few other Redskins find themselves in heading into the third preseason game. Receiver Marko Mitchell can’t just show that he can catch passes, though that helps of course. As a player fighting for the fifth receiver spot, he also has to show he can play special teams — something he’s never done. And Eddie Williams shifted from tight end and H-back to fullback.

Brian Orakpo is making a switch too, from end to linebacker, but as a first-round pick he knew he’d be given time to adapt.

That’s not the case for players such as Edwin Williams.

“It’s very difficult,” Williams said. “It’s not so much a mental issue. At center you have to know what the whole line does. It’s having to learn the technique and what kind of footwork you have to use. If you’re a player you should be able to play it. [But] I miss center.”

If Williams makes the roster, he would do so as a guard and a center. But he’ll only make it if he shows he can play guard at a good enough level.

“He has to be a quick study,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. “They have to come to practice and be lights out in all drill work. They have to be really alert and going hard all the time and that is a stressful situation for those guys.”

Mitchell has opened some eyes with his early play at receiver through camp and in the first two preseason games.

But it’s uncertain if he’s separated himself enough from the other receivers vying for the fifth spot.

If the Redskins want that fifth receiver to be mostly a special teams type, then Mitchell’s fate could rest, in part, on how quickly he shows he can play a gunner spot on punt coverage.

“It’s hard,” said special teams coach Danny Smith. “But they have to prove that they can, or can’t, play in this league.”

A gunner lines up wide, just like a receiver. The similarity ends there.

“You have two grown men [across from you] that can slow you down doing whatever they want, from grabbing your facemask to pulling your jersey,” Mitchell said. “I have a receiver’s mentality. When a defensive back presses me, my philosophy is to give them a move and get out there. As a gunner, you can’t do that. You have to be quick on your feet. You have to outsmart those two guys.”

Teammate Trent Shelton entered the NFL as a receiver and has spent time on practice squads in Indianapolis and Seattle. He knows the only way to stick is by doing something different.

“After paying your dues, maybe you’ll get your name as a receiver,” he said. “Right now, to make the team, it has to be as a gunner.”

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