I was ok with it until the suggestion about moving Wade Smith to RT. Someone will have to explain how that makes any sense. The LT is the one that has to be quick and the RT has to be big and strong. The RT is much more of a run blocker.
Smith is quick, but its pretty clear he needs to do a lot of work in the weight room. As far as I can tell, the only position he can really play is LT.
I see your logic but there's a couple of notes. First off, strength in this issue needs to be qualified. There is upper body strength, and then there is leg drive. Wade Smith has very good leg drive for a rookie. Its what makes him fast, and have you seen him beaten by a bull rush? Because I haven't...and I scoured a good amount of footage of him going up against Hugh Douglas during the preseason. Leg drive would help a Wade Smith be an adequate run blocker on the right side. The other side of the equation is upper body strength, which he lacks pretty severely if I'm not mistaken. This affects your ability to get in a good hand punch and to control edge rushers with your arm strength. It would also hurt his ability to run block on the right side but he could make up for that somewhat with his leg drive, but on the left side I personally don't think there's any substitution for wing span, and upper body strength to get a good punch...I mean his superb mobility helps make up for that, but doesn't do it the full way, and as far as positions of importance, I'd rather have a guy who is most definitely NOT a question mark at LT than have a dominant run blocker at RT. LT is a position of considerable importance because of fumbles. If a RT, RG, C, or LG lets in a rusher the QB sees him and tucks the ball. If a LT lets in a rusher unnoticed by the QB, the ball is as good as on the ground (see Indy game). Until Smith adds the muscle he needs to be a good LT, I would entrust him to RT where the passrush is more bullrush oriented (which he's equipped to handle) and where he could work on his ability to run block.
Overall I'm not so sure as the rest of you that Smith will magically be so much better this year because of his experiences as a rookie. He's still got physical limitations. You don't build an NFL frame of muscle in one year, and you don't learn the tackle position in only like, 2 or 3 years (he played TE a lot of his college time). He also isn't getting any taller...he's 6'4" and thats on the short end for LTs. Mark Dixon is 6'3" and got knocked for his height (for good reason he was one of only two LTs listed at 6'3" or below in the league at the time)
This is the second time I've seen a professional football scout or personnel man say that Wade Smith would be most suited for right tackle, at least in the short run...and not for nothin but I've not seen any personnel man shoot down the notion. He's not the prototypical RT I agree, but that doesn't mean it would be crazy to move him there. It might be more crazy to entrust like one of the top 3 or 4 positions of the offense to a second year guy who got abused a lot of times as a rookie...just assuming that he'll be better without waiting first for him to give you good reason to make that assumption.
