4 Roles Terrelle Pryor Could Play with Oakland Raiders

With the announcement that the Oakland Raiders selected Terrelle Pryor with a third-round pick in the NFL supplemental draft earlier today, the talk now shifts to what role Pryor could play for the Raiders organization.

Obviously, the Raiders believe that this is a pick with long-term potential. By grabbing him in the third round, this means that they have neither a third or fourth round pick in the 2012 NFL draft; they lost their fourth rounder when they acquired quarterback Jason Campbell from the Washington Redskins.

In the following slides, we will examine what Pryor brings to the table for the Raiders.

Terrelle Pryor as a Legitimate Quarterback Option for the Oakland Raiders

The first, and most obvious, role that Terrelle Pryor can play for the Oakland Raiders is as a quarterback. He was a starting college quarterback at a high-profile program, Ohio State, and has played the position, with success, since high school.

Many have criticized Pryor's ability to transition from college quarterback to NFL quarterback, citing his inconsistent play at Ohio State as one reason why his skills won't translate to the professional game.

However, many quarterbacks with mixed results as collegiate athletes have done well—even flourished— in the NFL. Furthermore, prognosticating a player's NFL success based on his college performance is a difficult undertaking, with so many variables in play.

Whether Pryor is going to be the Raiders' starting quarterback next year (I do not believe this could be possible this season, five-game suspension or not), or if he is going to be a career backup with the team, the Raiders clearly see potential in him and will be looking to develop him.

The Raiders have middling, aging veterans making up the bulk of their quarterback depth this season. They've made it clear, by drafting Pryor, that they are looking for youth and explosiveness to drive their future offenses.

First and foremost, Terrelle Pryor is a quarterback, and it is only logical to assume that the Raiders drafted him today to play that position.

Terrelle Pryor as a Wide Reciever Option for the Oakland Raiders

Less likely for Terrelle Pryor is that the Oakland Raiders ultimately make him a wide receiver.

Though there has been extensive talk of Pryor not playing quarterback for whichever team drafts him, his not playing quarterback would be more surprising than if he did.

Much of this talk is driven by his size, speed and mobility, combined with his less-than-stellar accuracy in throwing passes.

People seem more prone to compare him to struggling Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (who, prior to the 2010 NFL draft, was being projected to play as a fullback as much as he was as a passer) than to actual NFL quarterback Vince Young, a more apt comparison.

However, the Raiders have been known to make strange personnel decisions in the past, and it is certainly possible that Al Davis (who we all know has the final say over any Raiders moves) brought him into the Oakland fold to play a position other than quarterback.

It wouldn't be a poor fit for the speedy, athletic Pryor, but truth be told, he's a quarterback first.

Terrelle Pryor as a Tight End for the Oakland Raiders

An even further possibility for Terrelle Pryor's role with the Oakland Raiders is that of tight end, for similar reasons as to why he'd end up a wide receiver.

He's big, he's fast, he's athletic; add in blocking, and perhaps tight end could be a possible fit for him instead of quarterback or wide receiver.

This option seems the most unlikely of the three, however. It seems doubtful that the Raiders would use their 2012 NFL draft pick on grabbing Pryor in the supplemental draft this year just to make the kid a tight end.

Again, with Al Davis, most anything is possible, but Pryor would have to be a colossal failure on the practice field at the quarterback position if we see him named as a Raiders tight end.

Terrelle Pryor as Trade Bait for the Oakland Raiders

One final option for Terrelle Pryor is that the Oakland Raiders actually don't want to keep him around as a quarterback on their squad for very long.

In the 2012 NFL draft, the Raiders are down both their third- and fourth-round picks. If the Raiders find themselves in a situation, come the end of the season, where those picks have become extremely attractive again, they might try to move a bigger-name player to fill those holes.

Pryor, suspended for the first five games of this season, will not likely see much, if any, action on the playing field this season, and certainly not as a starting quarterback.

The Raiders may be banking on Pryor developing enough during this season that he becomes a quality bargaining chip, enticing other teams to make trade offers for him, and ultimately recouping one, or both, of the two 2012 picks they've lost.

The Raiders are a savvy organization who know how to play the personnel game, and acquiring Pryor now might be part of a larger plan for later. And that plan may be one that ultimately does not include Pyror as a permanent member of their roster.