Kellen Moore on Trevor Penning's audition at left guard: 'He's doing an excellent job'

It's taken some time for Trevor Penning to find his way in the NFL, but he isn't the first offensive lineman to move around before settling in at one position. He isn't even the first New Orleans Saints first-round pick to do so. Like Andrus Peat before him, Penning played left tackle in college, tried moving to right tackle after turning pro, and then was shifted to left guard. And like Peat, he might stick there.

Head coach Kellen Moore commented on Penning's move to left guard when speaking with reporters after Thursday's practice session: "He's doing an excellent job, he's embracing it. We know he's played tackle plenty so he's doing an excellent job in there."

When asked whether Moore's experience with Mekhi Becton moving from tackle to guard with the Philadelphia Eagles last summer helped inform their process for Penning, he said it did; and if anything, Penning is getting after it quicker than Becton did.

"Certainly, I think T.J. (Paganetti) being here, Doug (Nussmeier), myself, we've been around that transition that Mekhi took last year. Which really was later even in the process, it was right at the end of OTA's and then transitioned into training camp," Moore reflected. Paganetti worked as the assistant for Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland since 2013 and was hired away to become Moore's run game coordinator. He has a lot of experience coaching linemen and tight ends to establish one of the NFL's most consistent rushing attacks.

Clearly the Saints view Penning as one of their five best offensive linemen, and they want to get him on the field with the other guys who they feel can do the most to help them win football games this year. The smoothest way to accomplish that may be putting Penning inside at left guard with rookie draft pick Kelvin Banks Jr. at left tackle and second-year starter Taliese Fuaga at right tackle -- where both of them lined up in college. Penning would be the only one learning a new position, and that's been the vision even before they drafted Banks in April.

"We've had conversations before the draft, I think," Moore said. "We feel great about Trevor and it's just a matter of putting the best five out there on the field. Giving ourselves opportunities and the versatility that provides. Trevor's physicality and his demeanor and the way he plays, we feel like guard presents him a great opportunity. And so we know the great progress he's made at tackle as well. And so we feel like this gives us a really good opportunity to evaluate him at that guard spot. Let him, you know, keep doing what he does and good things are going to happen."

We'll see if it works out. Guys are going to move around often this year. Banks has already spent time at both tackle and guard this spring. The coaches could give it a few days or weeks before deciding to try a different combination. It may run into the summer when pads go on at training camp. But everyone's willingness to give it a shot is good to see. With a new quarterback stepping in and running a new offense, it's critical that the Saints get the line figured out. It's always important to protect the QB but that's an even higher priority for an inexperienced passer. Hopefully Penning kicking inside can be good for him and the team.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Kellen Moore likes what he's seen from Trevor Penning at left guard