Terrelle Pryor: Why Taking Scandal-Ridden QB Would Be Waste of an NFL Draft Pick

Terrelle Pryor has been declared eligible for the NFL supplemental draft, which will be held on Monday, August 22. He is, without a doubt, the highest-profile player in the draft, but NFL teams shouldn't pick him. 

Drafting him on Monday would be a waste of a pick because he is never going to be a great NFL quarterback. Most teams view him as a wide receiver over a quarterback, which doesn't sit well with Pryor because he thinks he is a fantastic quarterback.

By drafting a player in the NFL supplemental draft, you forfeit a future draft pick for whatever round you selected a player. Why give up a pick that could be used on a player that will actually amount to something?

Adam Schefter was the first to tweet the updates on the draft and Pryor's eligibility. He also tweeted that there is a catch to Pryor joining the NFL.

The former Buckeyes quarterback will not be allowed to practice or play for the first five games of the 2011 NFL season, but he can attend meetings during that time, as well as participate in training camp and preseason games. 

The NFL issued a statement as to why Pryor is suspended for the first five games. Per ESPN:

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Pryor made decisions that undermine the integrity of the eligibility rules for the NFL Draft. Those actions included failing to cooperate with the NCAA and hiring an agent in violation of NCAA rules, which resulted in Ohio State declaring him ineligible to continue playing college football.

Pryor then applied to enter the NFL after the regular draft. Pryor had accepted at the end of the 2010 college football season a suspension for the first five games of the 2011 season for violating NCAA rules. Pryor will be ineligible to practice prior to or play in the first five games of the NFL regular season after he signs. 

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The NFL supplemental draft was supposed to occur on Wednesday, August 17, but because of Pryor, it was postponed.

Why they're even letting him in the draft is just mind-boggling. It's a bit ridiculous for the NFL to do this, but that's another debate.  

Some team is going to take a chance on Pryor, but it will later regret it. The 22-year-old looks good on paper at 6'6", 233 pounds, but you don't play football on paper. 

Yes, Pryor is very athletic, but being an athlete can only take you so far in the NFL, especially if you're vying to be a starting quarterback. Pryor will struggle to learn the NFL system, and when he doesn't get the chance to play in the first year or two, he will get frustrated.  

There will more than likely be some sort of pro day workout this weekend for Pryor, and the teams that attend will see that he still needs a lot of work. His accuracy and decision-making need to be improved, and watching him workout with no pads doesn't show how he will handle the transition of the NFL style of play.

Not to mention that Pryor as made poor judgement in the past, and the chances of him slipping up or causing his team a large headache are very high. He doesn't have a strong sense of awareness, and that is why teams shouldn't draft him.   

NFL teams will be spending way too much time attempting to develop this diva player, and it's just going to hurt them in the end. Having success at the college level doesn't always translate to the NFL, which will be the case with Pryor.

No team in its right mind will pick Pryor because it wants him to play this year, and the fact that he is suspended for the first five games will only hurt his draft stock a little.

Pryor only wants to play quarterback, but I guarantee the team that drafts him views him as an athlete that can play another position. The team that picks him may view him as a tight end, wide receiver or purely a Wildcat quarterback, but Pryor doesn't want any of that. 

So drafting him for the future means a team will be investing a lot of time into him, and it isn't going to work out. Pryor is years away from even being close to a starter in the NFL, and chances are, the team that takes him is already down in the dumps, desperate and with little talent, which will hinder Pryor's progression. 

The NFL teams that are actually good are smart enough not to draft Pryor because it will be a waste of their time. Pryor is a high-maintenance player that needs to be in the limelight, and waiting a few years to develop will only frustrate him. His scandal proves that he is too into himself, and that drafting him would be a very big risk.

—Eric Bowman