Terrelle Pryor: Not Vince Young and Definitely Not Michael Vick

It's nearly impossible to turn on a sports channel without hearing about Terrelle Pryor. This young man has gotten more airtime then Michael Jordan in his prime.

Why?

Pryor got forced out of Ohio State for accepting gifts and money. Yes, that's a big deal to the NCAA, but, realistically, every major player at every college does it—hands down, no further questions asked.

I'm okay with that.

What I'm not okay with is Pryor putting his head coach Jim Tressel in the unemployment tank. Tressel was the most powerful man in Ohio, a state that bleeds Buckeye football 24/7; 365.

What I'm definitely not okay with is how Pryor has handled himself throughout this past year, both on and off the field.

He is a huge gamble for any team to take in the supplemental draft, in any round, especially considering that he is already suspended five games before he plays his first game in the NFL.

What I can absolutely not accept is anybody who thinks Pryor has a legit shot at making it as a starting NFL quarterback.  

Pryor is not good enough—both mechanically and mentally—on the field to experience this type of uphill battle already. He can’t make all the throws, and he’s not smart or disciplined enough to run an NFL offense.

To further my argument, I bring Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Michael Vick and Eagles backup QB Vince Young into the equation. 

Both Vick and Young, like Pryor, were college football legends at the QB position. Each possessed the dual threat to beat you through the air or on the ground, time and time again.

Both Vick (No. 1 overall by Atlanta) and Young (No. 3 overall by Tennessee) were drafted in the top five of the first round of the NFL Draft. Both came into the league with a great deal of hype, and both lived up to it at one point or another in their careers before their downfalls.

Vick took the NFL by storm before watching his life take a 180-degree turn, going from a $100-million contract and Nike deal to playing pickup games with inmates in a prison cell for a dog-fighting crime that was blown completely out of proportion, considering the crimes for which NFL players Ray Lewis (stabbing/manslaughter) and Donte Stallworth (DUI/manslaughter) got slaps on the wrist after paying their ways out of jail. (But that's a completely different story.)

Vick made possibly the biggest comeback in NFL history last season, and with Aaron Rodgers was one of the two best QBs in the NFC.

Young has had his share of ups and downs in his NFL career, as well.

He was named offensive rookie of the year in 2006 and made the Pro Bowl twice, following the 2006 and 2009 seasons.

However, his sudden disappearance one night and eventual check-in at a mental facility brought Young below sea level.

Pryor is not Young, and he’s definitely not Vick.

I don’t think that he has the mental toughness to deal with the media and keep his sanity through the roller-coaster ride that an NFL career can be.

And what’s even more against Pryor is his skill set. Yes, he can run, and, yes, his stiff arm was second to none in college last year.

But his mechanics and accuracy are neither equal to those of Young nor close to those of Vick.

If Terrelle Pryor wants any shot of making it in the NFL, I suggest he do everything in his power to stay out of the spotlight and switch to WR.

Maybe then he’d have a much more manageable hill to climb.