What Must Calvin Pryor Do to Make 2nd-Year Leap?

The average football fan should know that there are 22 football players on the field at a time, 11 players per team. Then why is it so hard to grasp the concept that it is nearly impossible to evaluate any of those players in a vacuum, without also taking into account all that is happening around them?

New York Jets safety Calvin Pryor seems to have fallen victim to that fate, with some fans and critics ready to put the "bust" label on the 18th overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft. 

Thanks to the hype machine that is the draft, first-round picks are often expected to make a dramatic, game-changing impact on their team from the get-go. Pryor started 11 games as a rookie, but without the big-play impact and with a penchant for missing tackles, his impact has not been quite what some hoped it would be.

But thanks to the Jets' depleted secondary (one of a few likely reasons John Idzik was fired), not only was Pryor surrounded by a host of ineffective defensive backs, he was also playing most of the season out of position at free safety. 

Thus, in some ways, Pryor's map to success in 2015 is already drawn out for him: He has to improve on the angles he takes in the running game, and hope that his coaching staff does a better job of surrounding him with talent and putting him in position to make big plays.

The latter of those three check points should not be a problem, with former Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles joining the Jets as their new head coach. Corey Griffin of NBC Sports has confidence that Bowles will find ways to use Pryor.

In 2014, the Cardinals did a marvelous job of getting rookie safety Deone Bucannon involved in their "big nickel" package. He played 729 snaps in the regular season and playoffs, which was 62.5 percent of the team's total according to stats website ProFootballFocus.com. He was at his best as an in-the-box safety, almost like a hybrid linebacker playing close to the line of scrimmage. His physicality was off the charts.

That's what Pryor could do for the Jets in a similar role. 

But in order to use that off-the-charts level of physicality he possesses, Pryor will also have to learn to play with his head on his shoulders rather than constantly doing everything he can to knock his opponent's head off his shoulders. Pryor missed 15 tackles in 2014; by comparison, Bucannon missed eight.

In order to improve his angles, Pryor could use to add a tool to his repertoire: a protractor. That, and the discipline to make the sure play instead of focusing on trying to make a highlight-reel hit.

But Bowles has earned respect around the league for his ability to get his defense to play an aggressive but sound brand of football. The Cardinals have been among the league's leaders in blitz percentage for years, but under Bowles, they ranked second in the league in blitz percentage in 2014 and first in 2013. 

Pryor could do well in a scheme like that, especially if he can hone his blitzing ability. He only rushed 25 times and therefore got pressure only four times (two hurries, one hit, one sack). It's important for the Jets to find a free safety to put in deep coverage responsibility so that they can move Pryor back to strong safety where he excels. 

Being deep at free safety puts Pryor in position for his biggest weaknesses to be exploited to the worst possible result.

"You make one mistake back there and everyone knows about it," said former Jets safety Erik Coleman to NYJets.com. "What I can say about Calvin Pryor is that he has the tools. He's a great athlete. He has the heart. He wants to do it. As he grows, get some good corners around him, get some veteran guys around him, and he's going to do nothing but great things."

Pryor's problems are summed up nicely there.

The real problem is, one of those problems is not even his own. Perhaps if the Jets hadn't been forced to field safety Antonio Allen as a starting cornerback, perhaps if Darrin Walls, Marcus Williams and Philip Adams hadn't been forced to play meaningful snaps, the Jets secondary could have been better. Pryor may have been better, too. 

Now, if he and the Jets front office both work on improving this offseason, he could be headed for big things in 2015 and beyond.

Unless otherwise noted, all advanced stats provided by ProFootballFocus.com.