(espn.go.com)
Preseason is just about over, but probably the biggest story and question mark since training camp opened remains the same: “What should the Browns do with Terrelle Pryor?”
In a recent Cleveland Sports Talk article, Zach Shafron made this very solid case for sending Terelle packing. The cliff notes version (do high school students still use CliffsNotes??) is that with such a solid cast of supporting characters competing for six likely wide receiver spots, there just isn’t enough room on the roster to roll the dice on such an unproven–and due to a sore hamstring–unseen Terrelle Pryor.
Pryor’s recent conversion from lifelong quarterback to newbie receiver has created a lot of doubters in the sports world. I have even remembered listening to a very credible radio voice compared the switching between those positions to a pro athlete switching from baseball to football. In the words of Hall of Famer Chris Carter…
C’MON, MAN!!!!!!!!!!!
But let’s talk about the hypothetical idea of jumping from another sport to football at the professional level. Could a basketball player do it? Recent NFL history says yes:
Exhibit A, Antonio Gates. This 5-time All-Pro and 9-time pro bowler is a sure-fire future Hall of Famer. He strictly played hoops at Kent State, helping them on their miracle run to the 2002 NCAA tourney Elite Eight. San Diego then picked him up as an undrafted free agent. His success gave hope to just about every forward in college basketball.
Exhibit B, Jimmy Graham. This NFL superstar played four years of hoops at the University of Miami. After that, he played one year of football for ‘The U’ before the Saints made him a 3rd round pick. He was ranked #31 in the most recent Top 100 players rankings by the NFL Network (down from #10 the year before).
Exhibit C, Julius Thomas. Peyton Manning’s former TE was a 4-year basketballer at Portland State, playing football only in his final year in college before the Broncos grabbed him in the 4th round. He just became the highest paid tight end in the NFL after the Jaguars signed him as a free agent this year.
One glaring distinction between Pryor and those three is that they all transitioned to tight end, while Pryor is moving to wide receiver. That difference actually enhances the argument for T.P. Transitioning to wide receiver would seem to be much easier than trying to become a tight end. Which elite NFL player would you rather block? 5′ 11, 195-pound Joe Haden, or this guy…
(usatoday.com)
6′ 5″, 289 pound J.J. Watt?
I know that receiving tight ends don’t mix it up at the line of scrimmage as much as in the past, but they still periodically face off against defensive ends. A wide receiver blocking a corner is pretty much a tickle fight in comparison.
Some question whether Pryor could handle the fear of going across the middle for a pass. First of all, new rules protecting the ‘defenseless receiver’ greatly reduces the anxiety of getting clotheslined by any Jack Tatum wannabes (millenial Buckeye fans, google Jack Tatum). And secondly, I would guess it takes a pretty triple scoop cone of courage (with nuts sprinkled on top) to stand in the pocket as an NFL quarterback with someone like this looking to blindside you…
(nfl.com)
And remember, Pryor also has a head start in understanding the X’s and O’s of receivers, since it is a requirement of NFL quarterbacks to know the routes and reads of wide outs. Let’s hope Johnny is meeting that requirement this year.
But with Terelle being out most of August with a hamstring injury, is he worth the risk? He appears to be barely hanging on to his NFL career after being drafted four years ago. But T.P. is no run-of-the-mill NFL journeyman wannnabe. Look at how his measurements compare to those tight ends mentioned above…
Pretty comparable to these top players until you look at his 40 yard dash time. That’s elite speed! The fastest NFL combine time ever (since they went to automatic timing in 2000) was 4.24 by Chris Johnson, and, according to NFL.com, only eight players ever ran below a 4.3. T.P.’s long strides hide the fact that he is a burner!
But those figures compare him to tight ends. How does he stack up against the royalty of NFL receivers? And how does he compare to the freakest physical talents of suspended Brown Josh Gordon, on whom the Browns have rolled the dice on several occasions…
Wow! The only guy that is truly comparable to him is Megatron! T.P. is a world-class athlete with a world-class body. Not only was he phenomenal college quarterback, but he was a 4th team Parade All-American in high school hoops. So why hasn’t he had a successful NFL career? Simple. He doesn’t have an NFL arm. I am guessing that Braxton Miller took Pryor’s NFL history into account when choosing to do his final year of college at wide receiver,
But is he worth taking a spot from the Browns’ bumper crop of receivers? Let’s check the tale of the tape…
Two Side notes: Travis Benjamin must have camped out at the buffett for a week before he weighed in. Or his hair added on at least 15 pounds. Also, we are just one player away from entering a local 6-foot and under basketball league! To complete the starting five, we would just need to track down old school Brownies Dino Hall or this mighty mite…
The Ice Cube, Gerald McNeil!!!
So after looking at those figures, do you think the risk of giving one of the 53 roster spots to Terelle Pryor is worth the potential reward? His age is still pretty young in comparision to the rest of the receiving corps. And it’s not like the Browns are poised for a championship run this year.
Remember how you felt in the 2nd half of the 2013 year when Josh Gordon blossomed into an elite NFL physical talent, something not seen in the orange and brown since maybe the days of Jim Brown. Let’s face it. #6 receivers on NFL squads are a dime a dozen. You can easily put one or two on the practice squad. But dropping a dime into the Terelle Pryor slot machine just might hit a JACKPOT!
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