NFL Supplemental Draft: Terrelle Pryor Is Worth the Risk

Terrelle Pryor’s bumpy journey towards becoming an NFL quarterback will come to an end on Monday now that the disgraced former Ohio State signal-caller has officially been deemed eligible for the NFL supplemental draft.

The circumstances surrounding Pryor’s entry into the league, which will include a mandated five-game suspension to start the season, has been debated over the last few days, as many are wondering if commissioner Roger Goodell has set a dangerous precedent by doing the NCAA’s bidding.

Only time will tell whether Goodell’s decision to carry over Pryor’s collegiate suspension ultimately proves to be the wrong or the right one, and I personally disagree with how he and the league have handled the whole matter. But regardless of what anyone thinks, the point is Terrelle Pryor is set to join the NFL.

Now that we know he’ll be a part of the NFL, the main question everyone's asking is, will he be a success or a bust?

Pryor will enter the league with his fair share of critics and doubters who are expecting him to fail, as he does not fit the mold of today’s prototypical drop-back passer, but Pryor’s rare athleticism for the position are sure to catch the eyes of a few teams.

When you look and try to break down any high-profile college quarterback as a pro prospect, you inevitably have to decipher if they have the tools to succeed in the pro game, which features a much faster and more complicated style of play than the collegiate ranks.

No one can deny Pryor’s tremendous natural physical ability. He’s one of the best pure athletes we’ve seen at the quarterback position since Michael Vick came out of Virginia Tech back in 2001.

What you have to wonder about, however, is if Pryor has the proper mentality and desired quarterback skills to become a franchise quarterback in the NFL.

Arm strength and accuracy are two of the most important qualities you look for in a prospect and those just so happen to be two of Pryor’s biggest weaknesses.

When you look closely, though, you have to question how exaggerated those weaknesses really are.

Pryor did finish his college career with a 60 percent completion percentage, which is equal to Blaine Gabbert’s and better than Jake Locker’s—two quarterbacks who were selected in the top 10 of this year’s draft.

Sure, his lack of arm strength is obvious, as any time you watch him throw, you can just tell he lacks the required zip on the ball; but for the most part, Pryor put the ball where it needed to be at Ohio State.

He made great strides as a passer from his sophomore to junior year, finishing the 2010 season with a 158 quarterback rating, and he improved and developed as one would hope.

Pryor did struggle against defenses like Miami and Wisconsin, but there were also times when he made some spectacular throws, fitting the ball into tight coverage.

Yes, the passing windows will no doubt be tighter in the NFL, but you do also have to take into account that Pryor isn’t just your typical drop-back passer. He can scramble, move the pocket and make throws on the run.

Further, one crucial aspect of Terrelle Pryor’s game that is being overlooked is his ability to create plays on third down. If you watched this year’s Sugar Bowl, you know what I’m talking about.

There were a number of third-and-longs where no plays appeared possible, yet Pryor would simply scramble outside, take off and blow by the Arkansas defense on his way to picking up the first down.

He won’t have such an easy time doing that against NFL-caliber defenders, but we all know how crucial converting third downs in the NFL is; and to have a weapon like Pryor, who can make plays with his feet and move the chains, is a valuable bonus.

You hear scouts and analysts say that you can’t teach speed, and when you’ve got a quarterback with that type of rare speed and playmaking ability, it forces defensive coordinators to adjust their schemes and preparation.

Admittedly, Pryor is still a raw project, but in the right system, he’s also a super-athletic piece of quarterback clay who can be molded into a starter.

Yes, his mechanics and footwork do have to get a lot better, but that comes with proper coaching and practice.

It’s easy to compare Pryor to other quarterbacks of his ilk such as Cam Newton or Vince Young, but I think a more proper comparison would be to San Francisco’s second-round pick Colin Kaepernick—another athletic "project" quarterback who the 49ers are investing their future in.

Kaepernick and Pryor are similar types of players, although you would have to give Pryor the edge because he played in a pro-style offense at Ohio State, while Kaepernick comes from a shotgun-heavy pistol system at Nevada.

My expectation for Pryor as a pro has always been that he could be a bigger, faster version of Donovan McNabb; but after getting a good look at Kaepernick before this year's draft, I see a lot of similarities between the two.

The bottom line when it comes to Terrelle Pryor is that the concerns that have been raised about his character and his lack of obvious pro tools are valid, but they’ve also been embellished a bit.

Many doubt that Pryor could survive in a pro huddle, but if you go back to his days at Ohio State and look at the type of cocky, arrogant kid he was as a highly-touted freshman, and then see where he is now, you can see a notable progression in his maturity.

Pryor was forced to grow up in the spotlight in college, and yes, he made more than a few bad choices along the way. The off-field mistakes will scare some teams away, but you have to realize that selling some game pants and driving a few nice cars aren’t exactly major crimes against humanity.

Trust me, there are a ton of NFL players, especially some notable quarterbacks, who have committed worse offenses. In the end, the beating he took from the media and the fans over the last few months will only serve to motivate and strengthen him.

Besides Cam Newton, no other incoming rookie quarterback has faced the type of scrutiny that Terrelle Pryor has, and part of being a quarterback in the NFL is dealing with criticism during the tough times—Pryor is already well-versed in that.

So can Terrelle Pryor be a successful starter in the NFL?

Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure: he’s got a much better track record on the field than people like to give him credit for. A 31-4 record as a starter and back-to-back BCS bowl game MVPs is nothing to just gloss over.

Two main features you look for in your starting quarterback is for him to win and perform in big moments; Pryor did both in college.

The public’s expectations for Pryor seem to be very low, so it’s not as if he’s walking into a situation where he'll be viewed as a savior. We know what he is.

Like all other rookie quarterbacks (with the exception of a special few), Terrelle Pryor is a project.

His success will be determined by what type of system he goes into and how hard he wants to work at being great.

I’ve been an adamant supporter and fan of Pryor's since he became the full-time starter at Ohio State back in 2009.

If I were a GM in need of some quarterback help, would I take him with a second or third-round pick?

Absolutely, but I would do so with the intention of sitting him his entire rookie season to have him learn, develop and soak up all the intricacies of the pro game.

It’s hard to predict which team will take a chance on Pryor, considering there are more than a few franchises that aren’t exactly set at the quarterback position.

Personally, I think the two best fits for him are Buffalo and Miami, but I could also see teams like Cleveland, Oakland, Seattle, Washington and maybe even the New York Jets (who lost their wildcat quarterback Brad Smith this offseason) also in play.

We’ll find out Monday where Pryor will get the chance to write his NFL story, and given all that has occured and been said about him during his collegiate career, it will be interesting to see if he can turn it into a success story.