Terrelle Pryor was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the third of today’s NFL supplemental draft. The Raiders had to make a stretch for Pryor as they had no fourth round selection in next year’s NFL draft. Teams using a pick in the supplemental draft must forfeit a corresponding pick in the next NFL entry draft. My readers may expect me to slam this pick but as of right now I think the Raiders made a pretty savvy move here, granted I would have liked it a lot better in a later round, but sometimes teams have to play with the cards they are dealt.
When I look at the Raiders depth chart at QB, I do not see a ton of really great options, Jason Campbell is serviceable, but he did leave this weekend’s pre-season game with an injury which seems to be a concussion and with the new rules in the NFL about the treatment of players with a concussion it is feasible that he could miss significant field time. Granted with Pryor’s five game suspension he would not be available to start or play in games Campbell misses, but picking up Pryor at this point seems like an acceptable risk for the silver and black.
Let’s be honest, this is all about potential, and the Jamarcus Russell debacle aside, Pryor is the kind of player that has thrived in Oakland in the past since they run a high tempo vertical attack that may just fit Pryor’s skill set very well. How important is a third round pick? That is hard to debate, but this now leaves them without a third and a fourth in next April’s draft so it could be detrimental to their future strategy. If Pryor develops into a legit NFL starter at QB, then the risk was well worth the reward.
Terrelle Pryor and the Oakland Raiders make a lot of sense, it’s the kind of move that team is known to move forward with and hopefully it works out for both of them because that pairing could be very exciting to watch. Here are some highlights of Terelle’s 2010 -2011 season: