Terrelle Pryor: Is He a Good Option for the Raiders or the NFL at All?

Terrelle Pryor is likely taking his tattoos and memorabilia business to the pro game. There is still serious speculation as to which pro league that will be. Pryor has yet to declare for the NFL's supplemental draft, and with the lack of a CBA there are legitimate questions if the league would even be able to have a supplemental draft. Some people will certainly try to persuade Pryor that he shouldn't worry about the NFL or their supplemental draft anyway.

Like this well placed UFL source of Adam Schefter, who suggests he would be best served to go to the UFL. Or the Saskatchewan Roughriders who acquired the rights to negotiate with him. And according to a quote by Pryor's attorney Larry James in the St. Petersburg Times it is an option he'd be open to:

It's like I told (the Rough­riders). My house is not for sale, but at the right price, it's on the market.

Of course, that quote actually tells me there is no way Pryor is going anywhere but the NFL—as long as a team will take him. The scouting reports suggest he should consider those other options—especially if he wants to play QB. Jump over for the rest....

Here is Mel Kiper's thoughts:

Pryor the athlete—as a wideout, as a tight end—is a tantalizing thought. You can see the matchup problems in your mind. But as a quarterback, significant hurdles remain. It's a decision he will have to make.

Here is another take by an unnamed NFL scout on CBSSports.com:

He [Pryor] is a nice college player playing in a system that caters to his strengths. He’s a basketball player playing football, though, when it comes to the NFL. He’s not a quarterback. He doesn’t have the makeup, the release or the accuracy for it. And he isn’t one of those guys that you can make into another position. He’s going to run well and people are going to get excited about him, but he isn’t a football player. What you’ve seen at Ohio State—on the field and off —is what you get with him.

And Todd McShay of ESPN:

Some people in the league have mentioned to me that the UFL is another possibility for Pryor. However, it's not a lock that he could start at quarterback in that league, either. I'm also not sure at this point that he'd swallow his pride and spend a year in the UFL. Bottom line: if Pryor enters the supplemental draft I'll be shocked if he's taken before the fourth round, and he could easily fall to the fifth round or beyond.

If Pryor goes in the fourth round or higher in the supplemental draft it will clearly be on potential—either potential as a QB or a receiver. And he certainly doesn't lack for potential. He has some tremendous physical tools. QB coach George Whitfield, who worked with Cam Newton before the draft had this to say on ESPN:

Cam Newton and Terrelle Pryor are comparable. Terrelle is a guy who is going to want to improve his mechanics and there's no evidence to suggest he can't. Cam seemed to have more confidence in his arm strength. But the tools and the ceiling for those two are comparable.

Pryor's name is invariably, and has already, come up in connection with the Raiders. Al Davis loves athletes, and the Raiders are in need of a QB to the future. Bill Williamson of ESPN has already made the connection:

I’d say this is the best possible spot for Pryor in the division. The Raiders could use a young quarterback to groom. They wouldn’t need Pryor to play right away, so they would have some time to develop him. It could be an interesting pairing late in the supplemental draft. However, the Raiders haven't used a supplemental pick since it began in 1977.

I am going on record now as saying the Raiders are not going to go after Pryor, nor should they. There are enough red flags around Pryor that I don't see the Raiders, who have gone exclusively after high-character and self-motivated players the last few years, changing this philosophy for a project QB. And that is just fine with me.

I would question Pryor's dedication to making the switch from QB. And as a QB his lack of accuracy is alarming. Maybe Pryor will improve his mechanics or his ability to read defenses, but accuracy is the one natural talent of a QB that often goes overlooked, and Pryor does not have it.