What Will Terrelle Pryor Bring To The Seattle Seahawks?

For those who have yet to study the upcoming NFL draft order, here is what the Seattle Seahawks have to work with: a first-round pick (32^nd overall), a second-round pick (64^th overall), a fourth-round pick (132^nd overall), two-fifth round picks (146^th and 172^nd overall), and a sixth-round pick (208^th overall).  Their seventh round-pick (247^th overall) just got handed over to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for Terrelle Pryor, the 24-year-old QB out of Ohio State who will spend at least his fourth season in Seattle.

Though this had some scratching their heads (“Why do we need another quarterback?”), the trade of a seventh-round pick for a legitimately talented, young player is a smart move.  Last year, Pryor had 156 completions out of 272 attempts for a total of 1,798 yards with seven TDs and 11 interceptions.  He broke the NFL QB single rush record with a 93yd zone read against the Denver Broncos.  But, he also had the lowest PFF pass grade in the NFL.  But, Pryor is still young, extremely fit at 6’4” and 233 lbs., and even though early reports say that he will be brought on to remain in the QB position, potentially vying against Tavaris Jackson to be Russell Wilson’s back-up, he could very well serve as an asset in other places on the field.  Here are my thoughts:

Cornerback:

At Pryor’s combine back in 2011, he ran the fourth-fasted 40-yard dash (4.36 – faster than Sherman).  Combine that speed with his height and he could pose a huge threat to QBs everywhere.  Furthermore, he could add knowledge of additional offensive schemes and QB progressions.

Wide Receiver:

For all the same reasons he could play CB, the Hawks could potentially use Pryor in this position against big defenses.  His improvisational playing style could blend well with the creative quality of the Hawks’ offense.

Tight End:

My local bartender last night tried to pitch this to me.  I just don’t find this to be a viable option for the Hawks now that the regular season has been released.  Not only has every other NFC West team made moves to try to climb to the top, but the Hawks have a tough schedule against strong Ds.  However, fast and lean TEs have grown popular in the league (think Jimmie Graham or Julius Thomas), so if I was proven wrong on this I wouldn’t be upset at all.

I get the feeling the staff wouldn’t be praising him so much as a dynamic player if they didn’t have some wizardry up those coaching sleeves, so I look forward to watching this young man take the field this preseason, regardless of where he ends up on the field.