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It's a debate that really isn't a debate at all. More of a slam dunk, really.
Similar to the dunks Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor threw down with regularity as a high school basketball star at Jeannette High in southwestern Pennsylvania.
If you are Al Davis and have a chance to put a once-in-a-generation athlete on the Raiders for the cost of a third-round pick or later, you do it.
If you are Jim Harbaugh, looking to build the talent base and remember Pryor as a guy most of the country thought superior to Andrew Luck as a high school senior, you give the hard sell to general manager Trent Baalke.
The debate over what position Pryor will play isn't a debate at all. Quarterback? Wide receiver? Maybe even an Antonio Gates-type tight end?
Doesn't matter. You worry about that later.
Pryor left Ohio State not long after coach Jim Tressel resigned in the wake of NCAA violations that included trading memorabilia for tattoos. There is an ongoing investigation that could result in USC-type sanctions, which would be a body blow to a traditional power.
His reputation in tatters, Pryor can apply for the NFL supplemental draft or begin his career in Canada or the UFL. ESPN reported Thursday that Pryor is focusing on the NFL.
An NFL spokesman said a supplemental draft can be held, lockout or no lockout. Prospective draftees must present their cases for being included in an application. It's roughly similar to the 2011 draft in terms of order. Whatever pick is spent is lost in the next draft.
Early speculation is that teams are looking at Pryor at some point after the third round. That means Pryor essentially becomes a third-round pick (or later) in the 2012 draft for the team that selects him.
(The Raiders are without second- and fourth-round picks because of previous trades, meaning they don't have a supplemental pick in those rounds. The 49ers have their full complement of picks.)
That's great value for a player who in a lot of ways resembles Cam Newton, the Heisman Trophy winner out of Auburn and soon-to-be multimillionaire taken No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers in April.
The truth is, Pryor, at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, has considerably more experience as a college quarterback than Newton, with a 31-4 record and MVP awards in BCS wins in the Rose and Sugar bowls.
He's a faster runner than Newton and has comparable arm strength. Former Ohio State assistant Doug Plank said Pryor was the fastest player on the Ohio State roster, which included Chimdi Chekwa, the fleet corner the Raiders drafted in the fourth round.
Pryor has the same questions regarding his pocket passing that have dogged Newton, although it would be difficult to convince Oregon of that based on the way Pryor carved up the Ducks (23 of 37, 266 yards, two touchdowns) in the Rose Bowl after the 2009 season.
Playing in an offense not nearly as suited to his skill set as Newton had at Auburn, Pryor last season passed for 2,772 yards with 27 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions to go with 754 yards rushing and four scores.
While Newton's past includes charges, later dropped, involving a stolen laptop and alleged cash demands made by his father, Pryor's memorabilia transgressions seem minor by comparison, and the only time he ended up in a police report was for a public disturbance while protecting his girlfriend in a theme park.
Plank admits he is biased in that he's also a Pennsylvania native who considers Pryor a friend.
"I'm not condoning what he did, but in the scope of improprieties in the world, how big a deal is trading a watch or a ring for a tattoo?" Plank said. "He's got a great attitude, and he's played under a microscope."
Let's say for the sake of argument Pryor's critics are right, and he isn't an NFL quarterback. Then he morphs into a potential star as an imposing slot receiver.
"What a weapon he would be. You stand next to him and you can't believe what a physical specimen he is," Plank said. "He's got great hands, and he's deceptive fast. He just glides away from people -- even people in the secondary."
As a power forward in high school, Pryor originally committed to Pittsburgh and averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. His high school football career includes a play in which he leapt over the center at the line of scrimmage and landed on his feet before blocking a point-after touchdown.
Davis once drafted a similar football-basketball phenom in the seventh round as an athlete out of North Carolina, and Ronald Curry evolved into the team's best receiver before having his career cut short by Achilles tears.
Davis took Bo Jackson in the seventh round in 1987 when he played baseball and plucked Raghib Ismail out of the Canadian Football League in the fourth round in 1991. Pryor is the very definition of the kind of athletes the Raiders love.
Harbaugh drafted a quarterback in Colin Kaepernick but is known for being creative and loves big receivers.
Take Pryor and whiff and you're out a nonpremium draft pick. No big deal.
The price for taking a pass and Pryor and seeing him flourish as a major talent is a different story.
Source: insidebayarea.com
Similar to the dunks Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor threw down with regularity as a high school basketball star at Jeannette High in southwestern Pennsylvania.
If you are Al Davis and have a chance to put a once-in-a-generation athlete on the Raiders for the cost of a third-round pick or later, you do it.
If you are Jim Harbaugh, looking to build the talent base and remember Pryor as a guy most of the country thought superior to Andrew Luck as a high school senior, you give the hard sell to general manager Trent Baalke.
The debate over what position Pryor will play isn't a debate at all. Quarterback? Wide receiver? Maybe even an Antonio Gates-type tight end?
Doesn't matter. You worry about that later.
Pryor left Ohio State not long after coach Jim Tressel resigned in the wake of NCAA violations that included trading memorabilia for tattoos. There is an ongoing investigation that could result in USC-type sanctions, which would be a body blow to a traditional power.
His reputation in tatters, Pryor can apply for the NFL supplemental draft or begin his career in Canada or the UFL. ESPN reported Thursday that Pryor is focusing on the NFL.
An NFL spokesman said a supplemental draft can be held, lockout or no lockout. Prospective draftees must present their cases for being included in an application. It's roughly similar to the 2011 draft in terms of order. Whatever pick is spent is lost in the next draft.
Early speculation is that teams are looking at Pryor at some point after the third round. That means Pryor essentially becomes a third-round pick (or later) in the 2012 draft for the team that selects him.
(The Raiders are without second- and fourth-round picks because of previous trades, meaning they don't have a supplemental pick in those rounds. The 49ers have their full complement of picks.)
That's great value for a player who in a lot of ways resembles Cam Newton, the Heisman Trophy winner out of Auburn and soon-to-be multimillionaire taken No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers in April.
The truth is, Pryor, at 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, has considerably more experience as a college quarterback than Newton, with a 31-4 record and MVP awards in BCS wins in the Rose and Sugar bowls.
He's a faster runner than Newton and has comparable arm strength. Former Ohio State assistant Doug Plank said Pryor was the fastest player on the Ohio State roster, which included Chimdi Chekwa, the fleet corner the Raiders drafted in the fourth round.
Pryor has the same questions regarding his pocket passing that have dogged Newton, although it would be difficult to convince Oregon of that based on the way Pryor carved up the Ducks (23 of 37, 266 yards, two touchdowns) in the Rose Bowl after the 2009 season.
Playing in an offense not nearly as suited to his skill set as Newton had at Auburn, Pryor last season passed for 2,772 yards with 27 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions to go with 754 yards rushing and four scores.
While Newton's past includes charges, later dropped, involving a stolen laptop and alleged cash demands made by his father, Pryor's memorabilia transgressions seem minor by comparison, and the only time he ended up in a police report was for a public disturbance while protecting his girlfriend in a theme park.
Plank admits he is biased in that he's also a Pennsylvania native who considers Pryor a friend.
"I'm not condoning what he did, but in the scope of improprieties in the world, how big a deal is trading a watch or a ring for a tattoo?" Plank said. "He's got a great attitude, and he's played under a microscope."
Let's say for the sake of argument Pryor's critics are right, and he isn't an NFL quarterback. Then he morphs into a potential star as an imposing slot receiver.
"What a weapon he would be. You stand next to him and you can't believe what a physical specimen he is," Plank said. "He's got great hands, and he's deceptive fast. He just glides away from people -- even people in the secondary."
As a power forward in high school, Pryor originally committed to Pittsburgh and averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. His high school football career includes a play in which he leapt over the center at the line of scrimmage and landed on his feet before blocking a point-after touchdown.
Davis once drafted a similar football-basketball phenom in the seventh round as an athlete out of North Carolina, and Ronald Curry evolved into the team's best receiver before having his career cut short by Achilles tears.
Davis took Bo Jackson in the seventh round in 1987 when he played baseball and plucked Raghib Ismail out of the Canadian Football League in the fourth round in 1991. Pryor is the very definition of the kind of athletes the Raiders love.
Harbaugh drafted a quarterback in Colin Kaepernick but is known for being creative and loves big receivers.
Take Pryor and whiff and you're out a nonpremium draft pick. No big deal.
The price for taking a pass and Pryor and seeing him flourish as a major talent is a different story.
Source: insidebayarea.com