Former first-rounder Dominique Easley gets fresh start and new position

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- After more than a year on the sideline, Dominique Easley just wanted to hit someone. He got his chance last Saturday when the Los Angeles Rams played a preseason game against the Houston Texans.

“It was great just to be on the field again,” Easley said. “Just getting back with the guys.”

A former first-round pick, Easley thought he might never return to football after he suffered a serious knee injury -- the third of his career dating to college -- during the first week of training camp last season. He watched most of the Rams’ season unfold from his couch.

“That was the most hardest part, just to not be a part of it,” Easley said of watching the Rams’ turnaround…