MOBILE, Ala. — Emil Ekiyor Jr. is taking center stage in front of NFL scouts during Senior Bowl practice this week. Literally.

After serving as Alabama’s starting left guard the past three seasons, Ekiyor spent Monday at the center position, hoping to show off his versatility on the line.

“It’s pretty fun just running the show, making all the calls,” Ekiyor said told Tide Illustrated. “I’m just showing my versatility. I want to show I can play at more than one spot on the line. I feel like I have enough guard film, so why not play some center?”

Ekiyor, 6-foot-3, 307 pounds, played center during his senior year at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis. However, the position was occupied by Landon Dickerson, Darrian Dalcourt and Seth McClaughlin over the past three seasons at Alabama. Instead, all 40 of Ekiyor’s college starts came at the right guard position.

That made Monday’s position swap all the more enticing for NFL scouts.

“They actually didn’t know I could play center,” Ekiyor said. “I think today kind of helped me out. They were saying position versatility is something they were knocking on me, so me coming out here and showing I can play more than one position helped me a lot.”

By all accounts, Ekiyor held his own against some of the nation’s top defensive linemen.

“He did a great job out here,” said former Alabama defensive tackle D.J. Dale, who faced off against his former teammate in practice. “Whenever we line up against each other, it's a good competition, so I wasn’t surprised. Emil is super versatile and a really good player.”

Former Alabama lineman Tyler Steen had a different vantage point, blocking down the line from Ekiyor at left tackle. However, he came away equally impressed.

“Emil is going to look good anywhere on the line that he plays,” Steen said. “He looked natural out there today, and he’s just going to keep improving and showing out.”

According to Ekiyor, the biggest difference in the position switch is the leadership responsibilities that come with it. Along with learning to gel with a new group of teammates this week, the former Alabama lineman will also be in charge of relaying blocking assignments at the line of scrimmage. So far, it hasn't been difficult for him to find his voice in Mobile.

“I like the responsibility of everyone relying on my call,” Ekiyor said. “I get to run the show. I like taking charge, and I know myself well enough to do it. I don’t have any problems with it.”

Ekiyor’s versatility adds to his solid resume heading into April’s NFL Draft. Along with starting 40 games during his college career, he also blocked for a pair of Heisman Trophy winners while helping Alabama to two SEC titles and a national championship. This week, he’s looking to make one final impression in a Crimson Tide helmet.

“I’m just looking to continue to show my versatility and how good of a player I am,” Ekiyor said. “I want to show teams how much of a competitor I am, and I look forward to doing it every day.”