Al Davis is known for his love of speed and athleticism. Whenever a speed freak or a workout warrior enters the draft, it is inevitable that the Raiders will be mentioned as a possible landing place.
On Monday, the Raiders followed suit in drafting former Ohio State quarterback in the NFL Supplemental Draft. The Raiders pulled the trigger on the athletic quarterback with a third round pick, which really is not a bad price for Pryor.
Pryor is a solid pick in the third round because of his versatility. There have been conflicting reports as to whether the Raiders plan on keeping Pryor at quarterback or move him to wide receiver or tight end. The fact of the matter is, the Raiders may not be sure how they will use Pryor yet, but his size and athleticism made him too good to pass on.
Pryor is a big kid, standing tall at 6’6 and weighing a solid 233 pounds. His size alone is impressive, but combine that with his speed, and you have one unique talent. At his workout, Pryor ran a 4.38 40 yard dash, that is .01 seconds slower than the fastest time for a wide receiver at the NFL combine this year.
That time was held by a receiver who was six inches shorter and close to 40 pounds lighter than Pryor.
Should Davis decide to move Pryor to another position, it won’t be new territory for the Raiders. Ronald Curry was a quarterback that the Raiders converted to wide receiver with good results. Curry was not a star, but then again, he also was not the athlete that Terelly Pryor is. Given his rare combination of size and speed, it is not surprising that the Raiders decided to take a risk on Pryor.
Given the price of a third round pick, Pryor was worth it. While the Raiders currently stand without a second, third or fourth round pick in next year’s draft, they will likely receive compensatory picks for the loss of Nnamdi Asomugha, Zach Miller and Robert Gallery. This makes the use of a third round pick on Pryor much more affordable.
We may not know for a few years whether or not Pryor was worth the pick, but the relatively low risk of a third round pick combined with the incredible possibility for a big reward makes this a good move by the Raiders.