Former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who has bounced around the league since he was selected in the supplemental draft by the Oakland Raiders in 2011, has been impressing the Cleveland Browns coaches with his receiving skills during training camp. After an offseason that saw the team part ways with a lot of veterans, the Browns are not one of the NFL expert picks to make the playoffs, but they might surprise a few teams this year.
When Pryor was at Ohio State, he was projected as a future franchise quarterback, which was why the Raiders selected him in the supplemental draft. After a season on the bench, the Raiders gave Pryor a chance to start, but despite some flashes of brilliance, he wasn’t as good as the team had hoped.
After a couple of seasons in Oakland, Pryor got another shot to be a quarterback with the Seattle Seahawks, but that also didn’t pan out. Unlike some players that insist they have to play a particular position, Pryor swallowed his pride and decided to become a wide receiver instead.
In his first season with the Browns, Pryor showed that he was capable of becoming a good wide receiver, but he wasn’t good enough and was released to make room for another player.
Toward the end of the season, the Browns brought Pryor back and resigned him in the offseason. Pryor signing with the Browns during the offseason reunites him with Hue Jackson, who was the coach that selected him in the 2011 supplemental draft.
According to reports coming out of the Browns camp, Pryor has looked very comfortable playing the receiver position at camp, and if he keeps playing as well as he has so far, has a good chance of making the team’s final roster.
On Monday, Pryor told reporters that his mind is flowing despite playing in a new offense this year. He also said he was dealing with a hamstring injury last season, which hampered his performance. He added that being able to participate in a full offseason with the team has helped him get used to the playbook.
Hue Jackson told reporters that he feels Pryor has done a great job so far. The coach added that they moved Pryor around from one side to another, and he handled it very well, which impressed the coach.
During the offseason, Pryor has impressed coaches and teammates with his catching and playmaking ability. The receiver turned quarterback has been equal as impressive in training camp and made a great catch on the first da training in pads.
On the play, Pryor blew former defensive back Jamar Taylor and made a falling grab of a deep throw by Robert Griffin III. The play was so impressive that Pryor couldn’t resist the urge to spike the ball after he got up.
While he was speaking to reporters, Pryor acknowledged the difference between last year’s training camp and this year’s. He told them that he feels he is light years ahead of where he was at this time last year because he knows more about the receiver position and is better prepared to play it than he was last year.
Featured Image Credit: By Scott Stuart [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
