And we thought Al Davis was losing it. Or maybe this is just an anomaly.
Either way, the Raiders’ owner/general manager/make-believe coach looked shrewd Monday morning by taking Terrelle Pryor in the third round of the NFL supplemental draft.
It will cost the Raiders’ a third-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft, a pick that it appears they had to burn.
On first blush, you want to say, “What were they thinking?” What did the Raiders accomplish by taking the controversial Ohio State quarterback, who helped to get the Buckeyes in big NCAA trouble and contributed to getting Coach Jim Tressel fired. Pryor will go down as one of the main men in “Tattoo-gate.”
There also seemed to be some worries about Pryor as a pro. He was belligerent about getting into the NFL supplemental draft and when he was allowed in, he was told he had to face a six-game NFL suspension because he circumvented the system.
But that’s where the Raiders worries end, because:
* Their quarterback cupboard is bare. Jason Campbell is average at best and backups Kyle Boller and Trent Edwards didn’t set the world on fire as starters with their previous teams.
* They get to groom Pryor in their system for almost entire season, so it’s as they will get first-round quarterback for a third-round pick who already knows the playbook.
* They spent their 2012 third-round pick on Pryor, their second-round pick for two 2011 picks and their fourth-round pick on Campbell. However, the Raiders expect to get high compensatory picks for losing cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (Eagles), tight end Zack Miller (Seahawks) and offensive lineman Robert Gallery (Seahawks). We’re talking all three of those could be third- or fourth-round compensatory picks, easily.
Add to the mix that Pryor ran a 4.3 40-yard dash in his pro day on Saturday and you had Davis drooling … er, make that salivating. Plus, as a third-round pick, Pryor would be slotted by the new collective bargaining agreement a four-year deal at $2.36 million, including a $591,000 signing bonus. All told, he’s a fast bargain that the Raiders had the leeway to take a flyer.
This doesn’t mean that Davis has come to his senses about all aspects of running the Raiders. He may do something dumb like make him the Week 7 starter if the team is 0-6. For now, though, this was a shrewd move, especially if Pryor sits the entire season and learns how the NFL works.
At least for one day, it appears he has pulled one over on rest of the NFL.
Pryor to Raiders in supplemental draft [ESPN]
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Shades of the Bo Jackson selection, perhaps?