Nick DePuy completed a remarkable transformation in 2020. Drafted out of UC Santa Barbara in 2017 by the Montreal Impact as a forward, he couldn’t find playing time and ended up with LA Galaxy II as a project, the club converting him from forward to center back.
It worked, as he went from being a consistent option in central defense for Los Dos in 2019 to signing a first-team contract to return to MLS in 2020. And he wasn’t just a depth piece, as DePuy got regular playing time.
I don’t think the original plan was for DePuy to start so much, of course.