Oakland Raiders QB Terrelle Pryor Looks Solid In Camp, Coaches Impressed

Oren Shiri – May 16, 2012

Oakland Raiders' quarterback Terrelle Pryor spent most of last season wearing a headset and learning the game from the sideline. Could this season be the same? After rookie minicamp quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo praised Pryor.

Defilippo expressed to Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, "The first thing is, everybody knows how hard he's working. He's going to give himself a chance to be a good player in this league, because of his work ethic. He and I are in communication every day. He's a gym rat here in this building. He loves being here, loves talking football, loves being around, playing the game. He's getting better every day.”

"The fact is, his strides he's made from his first day here in this offense to where he is now have been good. We've just got to keep doing that every day. We've got to keep moving him forward and he'll do that with his work ethic."

In last year's supplemental draft, Pryor was selected by the Raiders with their third round pick. Pryor had the talent coming out school, but most believe he wasn’t ready and was immature. But the fact is in 2007, he was the number one ranked player out of high school and was recruited by Ohio State University.  

His dedication, efficiency and leadership were all shown when he played on the field with the Buckeyes in college prior to the scandal that rocked the campus in Columbus.

His three year college career was cut short by scandal and he was forced to shorten his college career. However, in all this he still ended up with rather above average number 477 completions, 783 attempts, for 6177 Yards and 57 touchdowns plus if you consider his more than 2,500 rushing yards with17 touchdowns, it's clear that Pryor was extremely productive.

Remember Pryor never had a senior season.

At the time, ESPN’s NFL draft analysis, Todd McShay said “Pryor’s a good athlete, and his ability to buy extra time as a passer and make something happen when the original play breaks down are positives,” McShay said. “However, his overall inaccuracy and questionable decision-making are the biggest reasons for doubting Pryor’s potential to develop into a solid starting quarterback in the NFL.”

Many continued to conclude that when Pryor came to Oakland last season he was certainly not ready, but that may have been a bit premature. Standing at 6-5, having a good arm and all the talent in place, being with the Raiders and the right coaching to start his career in the NFL, Pryor can only get better.

The Raiders new regime holds the cards as Pryor looks to be the third option behind starting quarterback Carson Palmer followed by Matt Leinhart, who signed with the team earlier this month. But it’s good to know his position coach DeFilippo understands Pryor is capable of becoming a successful NFL quarterback.

Leaving in question were would have been taken in this year’s draft? Yes everyone, Terrell Pryor was part of this year’s draft. He may have suited up after the sixth game, but really he wasn’t a rookie, he was a developmental player in the NFL learning.

If Pryor was in this year’s draft class and came out at the time he was suppose, he would likely be selected around the same period of time Seahawks QB Russell Wilson that was picked in third round if not slightly before that.  In fact, the Raiders were not the only team that wanted Pryor in supplemental draft. It’s just the Raiders are the team being criticized for taking him too high...of course, they are the Silver and Black.

When Pryor first came into the Raiders offensive system last year, he wasn't allowed to participate in training camp whatsoever and had to play catch up. The Raiders scrambled to get him and a brand new franchise quarterback around the same time. He was almost lost in the scramble and really couldn’t get much going last year at all.

DeFilippo concluded his conversation with CSN Bay Area by stating,"We all know Terrelle's got a unique set of skills in terms of his athleticism and he's coming along every day. He's getting better and better every day in terms of knowing the offense and knowing where everyone's supposed to be."

This will be Pryor's first training camp, so he’s essentially a rookie. Pryor still has to learn the system. Veterans Palmer and Leinhart can only help him achieve his potential at quarterback and lead him on the right track to a successful NFL career, maybe not this coming fall but in years to come.

Head Coach Allen, made some points himself on Pryor's development when he said “What I want to see is that every day he gets a little bit better. That’s what we’re looking for with all of our players. None of us are where we need to be right now.”

It’s really exciting to actually know the Raiders third in command has the ability to lead and the dedication to grow and learn the quarterback position.  How many NFL teams can say that about their third quarterback?

Raiders may have a hidden talent on the team and if Pryor continues to impress his coaches—his time will come.

Follow us on Twitter: @RNTimes and Oren @NFLorentime