Florida State football: How much center will Cam Erving play?

Tomahawk Nation is previewing the Florida State Seminoles 2014 season with a series of roundtable responses. Our authors chimed in on questions that piqued their interest.

Will Cam Erving start at center? This has been a frequent topic since Erving, who has started 28-straight games at left tackle, took some snaps at center. FSU is trying to replace Bryan Stork, who is now snapping for the New England Patriots, primarily with red-shirt senior Austin Barron. Erving looks good at center according to reports, but is there really a chance that he'll make the move?

ricobert1: The thinking goes you start your best 5. If Erving is better than Barron at center and Erving’s replacement is better at LT than Barron is at center, then sure. Plugging in some numbers, imagine Erving rated at center at an 85 and Barron was an 80. The replacement player for Erving at LT would need to be better than a 80 to achieve a better overall line. But I don’t think Erving is better than Barron at playing center nor do I think Mavety or Bell is better than Erving at LT - so for me the discussion is moot. Based on the depth chart, though, Erving is your 2nd string center should Barron go down.

Alan Mundy: No. Cam Erving has already switched positions once. He will not do it again in his money year to a much lower valued position and I doubt the coaches would seriously entertain the thought of asking.

Bud: I don't think so, at least not initially. It’s great that Erving is flexible, and FSU cross-trains its offensive linemen to facilitate functional depth, and so that they get a better understanding of how their assignments work in tandem with others, but I still do not see that happening. And Rob's point is the exact reason why. Cam Erving probably is a better center than Austin Barron, but I really question whether the improvement at center would be greater than the downgrade at left tackle.

I do buy, however, Erving being the true backup at center if Barron were to go down, or if he were to really struggle. But I think Erving's pass protection is a lot better than that of other potential left tackles Hart, Are, Matias or Johnson.

And Cam Erving came back to school after his draft projection was not where he wanted it. I'm not sure playing center would help his draft stock.

jmnpb996: Yes, Cam Erving will start at Left Tackle. Rob’s point re: value above replacement is notable, and Alan’s definitely correct that he’s not going to forgo a season of LT for some versatility on tape. Teams pay a premium for blind side tackles. They likely won’t pay a significantly larger premium for a blind side tackle who can snap it if necessary.

Onebarrelrum: I don't think the coaching staff will do that to him. He’ll let him continue to develop as a player where he is, go to the NFL and make money.