- Joined
- Jan 6, 2014
- Messages
- 1,741
- Name
- B and G
Louisville Safety Calvin Pryor Set to Make Impact in NFL Draft
Big Hitter Emerges as Potential First-Round Pick
By Robb Hoff7 hours ago
COMMENTARY | The Louisville Cardinals fell short of their hopes for an undefeated season and potential BCS championship game in 2013, but the losses the team will experience in 2014 in the team's first year in the ACC could make the shortcoming of the 2013 season pale in comparison.
After the end of the season, Louisville saw head coach Charlie Strong bolt for more money and prestige and also saw junior stars Teddy Bridgewater and Calvin Pryor declare early for the NFL draft. While the losses of Strong and Bridgewater will impact the team in 2014, the hiring of offensive whiz Bobby Petrino may soften the blow of some of that loss.
But the loss of Pryor and the boom he lowered may prove to be much harder to replace.
Here's what will be Louisville's loss but the gain of some lucky NFL team when it comes to Pryor:
First-Round NFL Draft Potential
Listed at 6-2, 208 pounds, Pryor has a chance at the NFL scouting combine to separate himself from the rest of the NFL draft safety class. A dearth of top-half first-round talent at both the safety and cornerback positions will put Pryor in a position to not only elevate himself to the first round but also high in the first round -- maybe even top 10.
There may be no other defensive player who stands to hit a bigger NFL payday with a headliner showing at the combine than Pryor.
Pryor fits the prototype of safety that some teams have recently relied upon to center their secondaries around. Safeties Earl Thomas of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and Eric Berry of the revitalized Kansas City Chiefs were both high first-round draft picks in 2010 and have since proven their indispensable value as versatile safeties who assume several responsibilities in both run and pass defense.
Pryor has the ability to attain that type of draft altitude, but even a more pedestrian showing at the combine should still position Pryor as a late first-round or early second-round pick. His skill set is similar to that of Cincinnati Bengals free safety Reggie Nelson, who himself was a first-round pick in 2007 and entering his age 31 season in 2014 may be a prime candidate for Pryor to replace when the Bengals use the #24 overall draft selection.
Physical Enforcer
Pryor is the most physical of secondary defenders entering the 2014 draft. His years at Louisville were marked by signature hits and scores of tackles. His presence in the secondary as a physical enforcer with the athletic ability to make plays all over the field will be the biggest loss to the Louisville defense in 2014.
That same physicality will also be one of his biggest attributes to the NFL team that drafts him, because his presence on the field will force NFL offenses to account for his ferocity whether he detonates over the middle of the field, deep downfield, at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield. Pryor brings the same level of boom that marks the play of safeties taken in the first round in recent years.
Pass Coverage
There is one play in pass coverage by Pryor that will resonate in NFL front offices from the time the combine starts to the draft: It is the most remarkable interception snared by Pryor during his career at Louisville. The amazing pick of quarterback Blake Bortles is not the end all to his coverage and ball-hawking skills, but the play does demonstrate all of the facets of pass coverage that will allow an NFL team to rely on Pryor at times in man coverage against tight ends, running backs and even wide receivers when the defense calls for it.
His skills in pass coverage are first-round quality for a NFL safety and will prove to be the biggest challenge for Louisville to replace, especially with fellow safety Hakeem Smith also moving on from the school. Pryor left many highlights during his career at Louisville, but the pick against Central Florida may linger for some time at Louisville -- not only for how remarkable the interception was but also how Louisville fortunes turned with the eventual gut-wrenching loss to Central Florida that cost the school its most successful season ever.
Now Louisville will start its journey to the ACC forced to reload and rebuild. And Pryor will start his biggest journey yet -- perhaps all the way to the rarefied air of the most coveted defensive back in the 2014 NFL draft.
Robb Hoff has worked as a freelance researcher for ESPN's production and news departments for more than five years. He posts his NFL draft predictions each year at footballnostradamus.com. Hoff is an avid follower of University of Louisville football and basketball and a longtime resident of the Greater Louisville area.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/louisv...or-set-impact-nfl-draft-181000281--ncaaf.html
Big Hitter Emerges as Potential First-Round Pick
By Robb Hoff7 hours ago
COMMENTARY | The Louisville Cardinals fell short of their hopes for an undefeated season and potential BCS championship game in 2013, but the losses the team will experience in 2014 in the team's first year in the ACC could make the shortcoming of the 2013 season pale in comparison.
After the end of the season, Louisville saw head coach Charlie Strong bolt for more money and prestige and also saw junior stars Teddy Bridgewater and Calvin Pryor declare early for the NFL draft. While the losses of Strong and Bridgewater will impact the team in 2014, the hiring of offensive whiz Bobby Petrino may soften the blow of some of that loss.
But the loss of Pryor and the boom he lowered may prove to be much harder to replace.
Here's what will be Louisville's loss but the gain of some lucky NFL team when it comes to Pryor:
First-Round NFL Draft Potential
Listed at 6-2, 208 pounds, Pryor has a chance at the NFL scouting combine to separate himself from the rest of the NFL draft safety class. A dearth of top-half first-round talent at both the safety and cornerback positions will put Pryor in a position to not only elevate himself to the first round but also high in the first round -- maybe even top 10.
There may be no other defensive player who stands to hit a bigger NFL payday with a headliner showing at the combine than Pryor.
Pryor fits the prototype of safety that some teams have recently relied upon to center their secondaries around. Safeties Earl Thomas of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and Eric Berry of the revitalized Kansas City Chiefs were both high first-round draft picks in 2010 and have since proven their indispensable value as versatile safeties who assume several responsibilities in both run and pass defense.
Pryor has the ability to attain that type of draft altitude, but even a more pedestrian showing at the combine should still position Pryor as a late first-round or early second-round pick. His skill set is similar to that of Cincinnati Bengals free safety Reggie Nelson, who himself was a first-round pick in 2007 and entering his age 31 season in 2014 may be a prime candidate for Pryor to replace when the Bengals use the #24 overall draft selection.
Physical Enforcer
Pryor is the most physical of secondary defenders entering the 2014 draft. His years at Louisville were marked by signature hits and scores of tackles. His presence in the secondary as a physical enforcer with the athletic ability to make plays all over the field will be the biggest loss to the Louisville defense in 2014.
That same physicality will also be one of his biggest attributes to the NFL team that drafts him, because his presence on the field will force NFL offenses to account for his ferocity whether he detonates over the middle of the field, deep downfield, at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield. Pryor brings the same level of boom that marks the play of safeties taken in the first round in recent years.
Pass Coverage
There is one play in pass coverage by Pryor that will resonate in NFL front offices from the time the combine starts to the draft: It is the most remarkable interception snared by Pryor during his career at Louisville. The amazing pick of quarterback Blake Bortles is not the end all to his coverage and ball-hawking skills, but the play does demonstrate all of the facets of pass coverage that will allow an NFL team to rely on Pryor at times in man coverage against tight ends, running backs and even wide receivers when the defense calls for it.
His skills in pass coverage are first-round quality for a NFL safety and will prove to be the biggest challenge for Louisville to replace, especially with fellow safety Hakeem Smith also moving on from the school. Pryor left many highlights during his career at Louisville, but the pick against Central Florida may linger for some time at Louisville -- not only for how remarkable the interception was but also how Louisville fortunes turned with the eventual gut-wrenching loss to Central Florida that cost the school its most successful season ever.
Now Louisville will start its journey to the ACC forced to reload and rebuild. And Pryor will start his biggest journey yet -- perhaps all the way to the rarefied air of the most coveted defensive back in the 2014 NFL draft.
Robb Hoff has worked as a freelance researcher for ESPN's production and news departments for more than five years. He posts his NFL draft predictions each year at footballnostradamus.com. Hoff is an avid follower of University of Louisville football and basketball and a longtime resident of the Greater Louisville area.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/louisv...or-set-impact-nfl-draft-181000281--ncaaf.html
