With Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor likely headed to the NFL supplemental draft (sorry UFL/CFL), the speculation is rampant on what kind of pro he'll be. That will be based on not only what Pryor can do on the field, but how he carries himself off it.
Speaking with Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports, one NFC general manager said Pryor is probably behind both Cam Newton and Ryan Mallett in terms of trust and reliability.
Considering that was probably the overarching reason Mallett slipped to the third round of the NFL Draft, that impression could really hurt Pryor.
One anonymous NFC head coach was especially critical of how Pryor handled himself at Ohio State.
"Look, we all know how the college game works and what those [coaches] have to deal with, but this kid sounds like he didn’t give a damn about anybody," the coach said. "He was just there for himself. He didn’t even try to hide it. He flaunted it. If you’re like that, it’s hard to be a quarterback."
Terrelle Pryor slammed by NFL personnel types
Still, one NFL personnel member told Cole that a second round pick could be used to get Pryor if a team is desperate. On Wednesday Jon Dove of MtD broke down a few teams that could go after Pryor.One that he didn’t mention but makes sense is the Oakland Raiders – and not for the obvious bad joke about Al Davis reasons. Leading up to the April draft, it became widely known that Davis coveted Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The Raiders, though, were unwilling to trade enough picks to acquire Kaepernick and the 49ers took him 36th overall.
If the Raiders view Pryor the same way they viewed Kaepernick, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they chose him earlier than expected. Although many, like Wes Bunting of the National Football Post, believe Pryor is a better wide receiver prospect, a team in need of a quarterback may try Pryor there.
But as one team executive told Silver, Pryor’s flaws as a signal caller should be more easily exploited in the NFL.
“As a passer, I’m not sure how accurate he is and that’s going to determine a lot about how good he’s really going to be,” the executive told Cole.
