If you have studied the Supplemental Draft over the years and have witnessed the Raiders love of size and speed, then their selection of Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor in the 3rd round of yesterday's Supplemental Draft should come as no surprise. The only surprise is that other national media types were in the dark, calling Pryor "at best a 5 or 6th round selection."
The NFL Supplemental Draft has produced some gems over the years -- QB Bernie Kosar, NT Jamal Williams, OL Mike Wahle -- but it has more overwhelmingly produced some real reaches and some busts, like past 1st rounders LB Brian "The Boz" Bosworth, QB Dave Brown, QB Timm Rosenbach, QB Steve Walsh, as well as 2nd round RB Tony Hollings, who the Texans gambled on in 2003. In fact, of the 34 players selected from 1977-2005, only 16 ever started an NFL game, and 9 never even played in an NFL regular season game.
Historically, the Supplemental Draft has taken place in the summer after Free Agency, OTA's and Minicamps, but before the start of training camp. This year was an anomaly, as it took place in the middle of training camp because of the labor impasse.
Many of the aforementioned busts and reaches were the results of teams overlooking player shortcomings or character concerns because of a severe need that could potentially be filled before having to wait until the following April's Draft or until the next cycle of free agency. Simply put, teams, like the Texans in 2003 with Tony Hollings, reached for instant gratification and potential return. We see the same thing in April's Draft when a team like the Broncos traded a 2010 1st Round selection to select CB Alphonso Smith with the 37th pick in the 2nd Round of the 2009 Draft, a move the club still regrets. Former GM Bobby Beathard also routinely burned his formers teams -- the Chargers and Redskins -- by dealing future 1's for 2's -- all for instant gratification.
Furthermore, the Raiders have always sought size and speed -- at times, above all else. Whether it be Cliff Branch, Ron Brown, Alexander Wright, Willie Gault, James Jett or more recently Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jacoby Ford, we all know that there will be a discussion of the "Need for Speed" somewhere in Al Davis's eulogy. Add in the fact that the Raiders have a sketchy -- to say the least -- recent draft history, along with teams past penchant for rolling the dice in the Supplemental Draft, how could anyone think that the Raiders would let a 6' 5" and 236 lbs. athlete with 4.37 speed, like Pryor, slip into the 5th or 6th Round?
To me, it was a no brainer -- my only question was whether Al Davis would spend a 2nd or a 3rd Rounder on Pryor. Well, considering that he's spent a 1st rounder on a punter (Hall of Famer Ray Guy) and a kicker (Sebastian Janikowski), I would not have been shocked if he had given up his rights in the 2012 Andrew Luck derby!
That said, the selection of Pryor may well prove to NOT be a reach at all. Pryor is blessed with slightly above average arm strength, great size and incredible straight line speed, though he is not overly sudden and lacks the fluidity and lateral movement of a Cam Newton, for instance. The Raiders have nothing at quarterback -- Jason Campbell, Kyle Boller and Tent Edwards -- so it is worth taking a look at him there first. He did improve his mechanics, accuracy and passing efficiency as a junior at Ohio State in 2010, despite a less than creative Jim Tressel offense and with a relative novice instructing him, in Quarterback's Coach Nick Siciliano. In a worst case scenario, Pryor could be used as a red zone threat at WR -- as he was against Texas as a freshman in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl -- or as a deep vertical threat. He could even convert to TE and be used as a vertical seam threat, like the Raiders attempted to do with former Ohio State TE Rickey Dudley.
Either way, it is an intriguing selection that should surprise...no one.
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