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It's fairly common for players in the NFL to play one position in college and then transition to a different position upon joining the pros.
Most cases come from an NFL team finding a player who isn't quite up to the pro-level at their position but has potential at a different spot. Sometimes it is by the player's request; at other times they receive an ultimatum from the coaches. It can even happen late into their careers (case in point: Cordarelle Patterson with the Atlanta Falcons.
A popular scenario is having a quarterback switch to a tight end or to a wide receiver. The quarterback position is highly competitive in the NFL and players who aren't quite up to the task have to adapt to survive. Again, this tends to happen more when they are drafted, but it can happen after years of playing quarterback (case in point: Terrelle Pryor).
One of the biggest "almost" was Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. We now know him as an MVP quarterback, but when he was preparing for the NFL draft, coaches, scouts and general managers tried to sway him into playing running back. While we didn't get Lamar Jackson in the backfield (thankfully), we did get a few players who found success and popularity after changing their position in the NFL.
NFL position change - Terrelle Pryor
Terrelle Pryor is one of the more recent and more popular position changes in the NFL. It was also one that few people expected to happen, especially late into his NFL career.
Pryor won two Big Ten championships at Ohio State in 2008 and 2009. The Oakland Raiders drafted him as a quarterback, even though he had served as an occasional wide receiver in college. But Pryor ended up bouncing around the league for several years and found little consistent success as an NFL quarterback.
In 2015, Terrelle Pryor made an unorthodox move to switch to wide receiver permanently. While he might not have had a better career after the change, he at least extended his career. Pryor played for the Cleveland Browns, Washington, the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills before ending his career in 2019 after being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
NFL position change - New England Patriots
The New England Patriots apparently had a tendency to switch players' positions during the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era. It's quite uncommon for one team to make so many such changes, but you can't argue with the results.
Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel was known as a versatile outside linebacker for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008, winning three Super Bowls in that span. His coaching career was solely defense-based, but Bill Belichick had Vrabel developing his skills as a tight end.
Vrabel had eight total passes, all for touchdowns, during his time with New England, and he did so while also being an elite linebacker. He caught touchdown passes in both Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXXIX.
Devin McCourty
Devin McCourty's position change was minor, but highly successful. He entered the NFL as a cornerback, even making the Pro Bowl in 2010. But he eventually saw a decline in his production and the Patriots decided to trade for Aqib Talib to replace him.
They didn't get rid of McCourty, though. Instead, they moved him over to safety. There was an obvious transition period but he made it back to the Pro Bowl in 2016 as a free safety, an impressive feat.
NFL position change - Antwaan Randle El
Antwaan Randle El was drafted in the second round in 2002 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played quarterback at Indiana, setting several records and finishing fifth in total yards in the NCAA with 7,400+ passing yards and 3,800+ rushing yards.
The Steelers already had Tommy Maddox and Kordell Stewart at quarterback, so why draft Randle El? Well, Pittsburgh had the intention to convert him to a receiver and return specialist. He had a decent career in Pittsburgh and Washington, totaling 370 catches for 4,467 yards and 15 touchdowns, and winning a Super Bowl with the Steelers. Randle El also had six return touchdowns and six passing touchdowns, so he still got to scratch his quarterback itch in the NFL.
NFL position change - Ronnie Lott
Ronnie Lott is proof that a position change can land you in the Hall of Fame with four Super Bowl championships and 10 Pro Bowls. Lott entered the league as a cornerback with the San Francisco 49ers in 1981 and went to the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl as an All-Pro rookie. Four seasons into the NFL, Lott switched to safety and continued to be dominant, unlike Devin McCourty.
Ronnie Lott went on to play an additional 11 seasons as a safety in the NFL, leading the league in interceptions twice and playing for additional teams like the Raiders and the Jets. He entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000 and is considered one of the best safeties to ever play in the NFL — and that's not even his primary position.
