Calvin Pryor - Pro Football Rumors

Jets Sign Calvin Pryor

June 2nd, 2014 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Jets have officially signed first-round safety Calvin Pryor, the team announced today in a press release. The 18th overall pick last month, Pryor was the first safety to come off the board, and was the sixth consecutive defensive player to be selected in the first round by the Jets.

In three seasons at Louisville, Pryor racked up 218 tackles and 14 passes defended to go along with seven interceptions. Per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, the new Jets defensive back should be in line for a signing bonus worth nearly $4.548MM, with an overall four-year value of about $8.563MM on his contract. The deal will also include a fifth-year team option for the 2018 season.

Pryor becomes the 11th of 12 draftees to ink his rookie contract, with only third-round cornerback Dexter McDougle still unsigned. To follow all of 2014’s draft pick signings, be sure to check out our tracker.

Jets Notes: Amaro, Pryor, Boyd, Saunders

May 17th, 2014 at 7:07pm CST by Peter Sowards

Jace Amaro, the consensus All-American tight end from Texas Tech whom the Jets took with their second-round pick, caught 106 passes in 13 games his junior season. Extrapolate that to 16 games — a full regular season in the NFL — and that’s over 130 receptions.

Now, college football is not pro football, but that doesn’t stop Amaro from setting his goals high, saying he hopes to catch 100 balls on a consistent basis, reports Kimberley A. Martin of newsday.com.

One player Amaro hopes to pattern his game after is Tony Gonzalez. “He’s kind of old-school, but he did some great things, too, and I definitely feel like I’d like to [model] his game,” Amaro said. “That’s someone I’d love to ultimately be. He’s supposedly the greatest tight end ever to play the game and that’s somewhere I want to be, too.”

Amaro and the team agreed to terms on a four-year contract yesterday.

More links below on the goings-on from Gang Green…

Coach Rex Ryan is going to love his new safety, Calvin Pryor. Nicknamed “The Louisville Slugger,” Martin writes that Pryor doesn’t wear a mouthpiece so he can better talk trash to opponents, and that he hopes to walk the walk on that talk with big hits and loud play, similar to Seattle’s Kam Chancellor and Tampa Bay’s Dashon Goldson.
Pryor joined the New York Post’s Steve Serby for a Sunday Q&A, touching on Pryor’s twitter narratives and his desire to prove the doubters wrong.
Working out of the shotgun nearly every snap of his college career, Jets quarterback Tajh Boyd focused on proper footwork in rookie minicamp, Martin notes.
With a host of new receiving threats acquired — Eric Decker and David Nelson through free agency, and Jalen Saunders, Shaq Evans and Quincy Enunwa through the draft — Ryan called the group much better from top to bottom than at any point last season, said Martin.
On that note, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes that the receivers have had a case of the dropsies in rookie camp.

Pompei’s Latest: McCarron, Browns, Pead

May 15th, 2014 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

In his latest Read Option column for Bleacher Report, Dan Pompei leads off by examining the Bengals‘ selection of A.J. McCarron in last week’s draft. As head coach Marvin Lewis explains, the McCarron pick could allow the team to avoid changing its backup quarterback so frequently.

“Each and every year we have been in that one-year, two-year backup quarterback model,” Lewis said. “We kind of wanted to make sure we got somebody who could fit that role for a longer period of time if that’s what they ended up being, if that’s what their lease on life was…. We had [Ryan] Fitzpatrick here, [Jon] Kitna here, and nobody wants to be the backup. Everybody wants to go somewhere and start. The only way to get a backup quarterback for longer than a year or two is to draft one.”

Of course, things could change quickly in Cincinnati if the team can’t reach a long-team agreement with current starter Andy Dalton, or if McCarron pushes for a starting job of his own after a year or two. Here’s more from Pompei:

The Bengals appear to have gotten good value with the McCarron pick, at the very least. Pompei says he polled 10 front office sources about the Alabama signal-caller prior to the draft, and all 10 gave him at least a third-round grade, including three who said he was a first-rounder.
Although the Browns quickly shot down a report that suggested they were ready to draft Teddy Bridgewater at No. 22 before tearing up the card and replacing him with Johnny Manziel at the very last minute, Pompei hears from another team’s source that the Browns had two cards filled out prior to the pick, and that one was torn up.
Had the Steelers not drafted linebacker Ryan Shazier at No. 15, he likely would have been the Cowboys‘ pick at No. 16. The Cardinals were also trying to trade up and were believed to be targeting Shazier, according to Pompei, though he says the club may also have been interested in grabbing C.J. Mosley or Calvin Pryor. All three players were gone when Arizona’s No. 20 pick rolled around, prompting the Cards to trade down.
The Rams‘ drafting of Tre Mason may signal the end of Isaiah Pead‘s time in St. Louis — the 2012 second-round pick was the subject of some trade talks during the draft, according to Pompei.
While Timmy Jernigan provided a diluted sample at his combine draft test, he took another test within a couple weeks of the combine and passed it, which may have contributed to his not falling too far in the draft, says Pompei. The Florida State defensive tackle went 48th overall to the Ravens.

Draft Updates: Cowboys, Watkins, Ealy, Pryor

May 6th, 2014 at 4:22pm CST by Luke Adams

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk pointed out last month, since Jerry Jones have overseen Cowboys drafts, the team has traded up or down in the first round in 20 of 25 instances, or 80% of the time. That would suggest there’s a good chance Dallas won’t stand pat on Thursday, but it doesn’t sound like the club is too engaged in trade talks yet.

“We haven’t heard a lot from other clubs,” Jones said today, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “We haven’t found that to be particularly productive. That’s day-of-draft type dynamics. I’d be surprised if there are not trade opportunities by the time you get to where we’re going to be picking or certainly afterwards.”

Here’s more on the 2014 NFL draft, which is now just a little over 50 hours away:

The Lions have frequently been linked to wide receiver Sammy Watkins, and Watkins confirmed today to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (Twitter links) that Detroit was the only team to meet with him more than once. “That sounds like they really want me, but you never know,” said the Clemson wideout.
If two meetings are a signal of legit interest, count the Cowboys, Falcons, and Bears among the potential landing spots for defensive lineman Kony Ealy. As Hubbuch tweets, all three clubs met with Ealy multiple times.
The Jets‘ interview of Calvin Pryor was extensive, the Louisville safety told Hubbuch (Twitter link). “They really seemed interested,” according to Pryor.
Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post passes along updates on Florida State running back Devonta Freeman and Utah cornerback Keith McGill. According to Wilson, Freeman met with the Steelers and worked out for the Falcons, Patriots, and Dolphins, while McGill either visited or worked out for the Cowboys, Buccaneers, Redskins, and Raiders, among other teams.

NFC North Links: Bears, Vikings, Packers

May 3rd, 2014 at 9:46am CST by Ben Levine

It seems likely that the Bears will bring in a quarterback for some camp competition, and that player could come from the draft, writes ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright. The writer thinks the team would only select a quarterback in the first two rounds, and he bases that off of quotes from team GM Phil Emery.

Emery has studied “developmental quarterbacks” since the 2006 Draft (Jay Cutler‘s year) and discovered that “developmental theory doesn’t hold a whole lot of water.” The research showed that since that draft, there hasn’t been a long-term starting quarterback selected later than the third-round (the 2012 draft is considered a “blip on the radar”).

Emery elaborated on his findings:

“So, to get a high-quality quarterback, you’ve got to draft them high. Most of the starters in this league come from the first and second round. So that’s where you need to take a quarterback. So when you talk about quarterback every year, they have to be somebody you truly believe will beat out the second and third quarterback that you perceive on your roster. And if not, history shows that you shouldn’t make that pick.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFC North…

The previous Bears regime did not value safeties, but that could change under Emery, Wright mentions in the same article. Considering the increasing importance of the position and the relative lack of depth on the squad, it wouldn’t shock Wright if the team selected a safety in the first round.
It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, but the Vikings have declined the fifth-year option on quarterback Christian Ponder, confirms FoxSports’s Alex Marvez (via Twitter).
The fifth-year option is a “key benefit” in selecting a player in the first round, and that is why the Vikings may be inclined to select a quarterback earlier than later, writes ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling.
It would be tough for the Packers to pass up Calvin Pryor if he’s sitting there at the 21st pick, writes ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. Of course, as the writer points out, it’s unlikely the safety would fall that far.
In the same article, Demovsky expresses his belief that the Packers will select a tight end early in this year’s draft. Wide receiver could also be an option in the later rounds. The team lost receiver James Jones this offseason and likely won’t bring back tight end Jermichael Finley.

Prospect Profile: Calvin Pryor

April 30th, 2014 at 8:26pm CST by Rob DiRe

If Alabama’s Ha Ha Clinton Dix is not the top safety in this draft, then Louisville’s Calvin Pryor is. While nominally these two players inhabit the same position on the field, the two free safeties have very different styles of play. While we already examined the playmaking ability in the center field that Dix could bring to the table, Pryor counters with the big-hitting, in-your-face style of play of safeties past.

Pryor’s biggest strength on the football field is violence. He struck fear in the hearts of any receiver running a crossing route in front of him. His highlight clips on YouTube are among the most fun watches of any prospect, filled with big plays that look as if they were scripted to elicit groans from all who watch. He throws his body into every play with full force and no hesitation. His dedication to those highlight hits makes him a weapon as a run defender. For an insight into his physical dominance, he had a stretch in which he knocked an opponent out of a game in three consecutive games, according to NFL.com.

While most fans will probably remember him for his ability to put ball carriers on the ground, Pryor never proved to be a weakness covering the middle of the field. It was rare to find him in man coverage, but he was able to cover deep in the middle of the field, exhibiting good range. His athleticism is not dissimilar to that of Clinton-Dix, as Pryor weighed in at 207 pounds and posted an identical time of 4.58 in the 40-yard dash. Pryor did measure in at 5’11”, a full two inches shorter than Clinton-Dix.

Pryor’s aggressiveness can be his greatest weakness on tape, as expected for a player always going for the big hit. He has the tendency to overrun plays, leaving himself susceptible to the cutback. He might take some bad angles, and a big hitter always risk the chance of missing on a tackle, especially as he meets bigger and stronger runners in the NFL.

Still, for a safety not known as a ballhawk, Pryor managed to get his hands on seven passes in his three years at Louisville, with a few highlight catches among those. He also forced nine devastating fumbles for his career, solidifying himself as one of the biggest hitters in college football regardless of position. Pryor was named Second Team All-Big East as a sophomore, and after a conference change, achieved First Team All-ACC as a junior before declaring for the NFL Draft. Like his counterpart from Alabama, Pryor was suspended for violating a team rule, forcing him to miss a game during his final collegiate season.

Early in the draft process, a common thought was that Pryor could be too physical for the NFL game. Pundits worried that he was almost a guarantee for fines and suspensions, a potential magnet for defenseless receiver calls. For the most part, that thinking corrected itself, and coincided with Pryor’s rise up draft boards. While most still have him as the second best safety in this class, he has closed the gap between himself and Clinton-Dix. Both ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. and Todd McShay have Pryor falling to the Cowboys (No. 16) (subscription required), while two out of the four mock drafts posted by CBS Sports have him up at No. 13, to the Rams. The Louisville hammer also has some traction among the Bears (No. 14) and Ravens (No.17).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

North Notes: Bears, Vikings, Steelers, Browns

April 16th, 2014 at 6:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Louisville safety Calvin Pryor, who has already visited Chicago in advance of next month’s draft, believes that he’d be a good fit with the Bears, writes Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

“I bring a certain type of physicalness to the defense,” Pryor said. “The Bears are already known to be physical. That playmaker ability, that’s what I can bring to the team…. If I get added to the team.”

Here’s more from the NFC and AFC North divisions:

The Vikings have already had a private workout with Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, writes Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, coach Mike Zimmer, offensive coordinator Norv Turner, and quarterbacks coach Scott Turner watched Manziel go through a workout on March 27th at College Station that was attended by 30 NFL teams, but Minnesota has also gotten an exclusive look. The Vikings have the No. 8 pick in the draft.
Linebacker Lamin Barrow is visiting the Vikings today, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). The Ravens met with the LSU product back in February.
With the NFL draft three weeks away, much of the pre-draft speculation surrounding the Steelers is whether they’ll take a cornerback or a wide receiver at No. 15. However, Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review argues that their greatest need is at defensive end. Ziggy Hood left the team to sign with the Jaguars this offseason and at last check, the club hasn’t shown any interest in re-signing unrestricted free agent Brett Keisel. Pittsburgh’s only defensive line addition has been former Charger Cam Thomas, who seems better suited to play nose tackle than end.
Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray is set to meet with the Browns next week, a league source confirmed to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (on Twitter). Murray, who has also drawn interest from the Titans and Cowboys, will work out for Cleveland the following weeks, says Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Due to the philosophy of new head coach Mike Pettine, the Browns are less likely to follow a quarterback-centric model as they build their roster, writes Vic Carucci of ClevelandBrowns.com.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Extra Points: CJ2K, Bradford, Pryor, Vikings

April 14th, 2014 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

After Chris Johnson was released by the Titans, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that the veteran running back was likely to find a new team last week. However, Johnson remains on the market. Now Florio writes that if CJ2K is going to a find a new home before the draft, he expects it to happen within the next few days. As Florio writes, most NFL teams will be focusing almost exclusively on the draft in the coming weeks, so if a club is going to engage in negotiations for the former 2,000-yard rusher, that team would probably prefer to get it done sooner rather than later.

As we wait to see if Florio’s latest prediction works out, let’s round up several more items from around the NFL….

Although he makes it clear that he’s not reporting that the Rams are shopping or even considering dealing quarterback Sam Bradford, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com makes a case for why the club should do exactly that, speaking to a few executives around the league to attempt to gauge Bradford’s current value.
Louisville safety Calvin Pryor, who has previously visited the Titans and Bears, is meeting with the Saints today and has visits lined up later in the week with the Bengals and Jets, reports Gil Brandt of NFL.com (via Twitter). Considered one of the top two safeties in this year’s draft class, Pryor is viewed as a likely first-round pick.
The Vikings have a big day of pre-draft visits lined up for Thursday, and linebackers Khalil Mack and Anthony Barr will be among the players in attendance, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Barr will also be visiting the Eagles next week, a source tells Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com.
Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post passes along updates on a couple prospects, reporting that North Dakota State offensive tackle Billy Turner is visiting the Cowboys today and the Rams and Vikings later, and writing that Tennessee State offensive lineman Kadeem Edwards has met with the Dolphins, Titans, Colts, and Panthers.
The Falcons hosted Montana linebacker Jordan Tripp for a pre-draft visit today, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.

Pauline’s Latest: Pryor, Evans, Gaines, Pats

April 11th, 2014 at 2:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Here’s the latest draft buzz from Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net:

Sources close to the club say that Louisville safety Calvin Pryor will be a priority for the Lions if he drops to the second day of the draft. I imagine that’d be the case for most teams, considering Pryor is widely considered one of the top two or three defensive backs in the draft.
There’s a consensus that Texas A&M wideout Mike Evans will be a top-10 pick, and the team that lands him may ultimately trade up or down to do it. Pauline identifies the Rams, Eagles, and Ravens as possible landing spots for Evans. Philadelphia could also be in the mix for receivers like Brandin Cooks or Marqise Lee.
Rice cornerback Phillip Gaines had dinner with the Jaguars last month and has worked out for the Bengals and Buccaneers. Gaines also has trips lined up with the Giants, Cardinals, and Dolphins.
The Patriots recently worked out Virginia Tech’s Logan Thomas and D.J. Coles, and Pauline suggests that there’s a belief New England will draft a quarterback this year, since the team expects to lose Ryan Mallett a year from now. As for Coles, the Pats had the receiver do plenty of tight end work during position drills.
Prior to tearing his ACL during a workout with the Saints, offensive lineman Brandon Thomas had official visits set up with the Raiders, Cowboys, Dolphins, and Panthers. He was also scheduled to work out for the Buccaneers and Giants. The workouts are obviously off the table now, but it’s not clear which of the visits will still happen, if any, says Pauline.
Towson running back Terrance West was impressive during his Pro Day and appeared to solidify himself as a fourth-round pick, according to Pauline.

NFC North Rumors: Flynn, Pryor, Lee, Brown

April 10th, 2014 at 9:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers have long been interested in a reunion with quarterback Matt Flynn, but things remain at a standstill, writes Weston Hodkiewicz of Press-Gazette Media. While a signing could still take place, General Manager Ted Thompson doesn’t like eating up cap room on backup quarterbacks and he’s also not swayed by Green Bay being one of only four NFL teams with fewer than three quarterbacks on their offseason roster. Here’s more out of the NFC North..

Louisville safety Calvin Pryor made a recent pre-draft visit to the Bears, a source with direct knowledge of the situation tells Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com. Pryor and Alabama’s Ha Ha Clinton-Dix are widely considered the two best safeties in this year’s draft.
USC standout wide receiver Marqise Lee has visited with the Lions, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. The Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year has also visited with the Ravens and Jets and will meet with the Panthers and Saints in the future.
Louisville’s Preston Brown will attend the Vikings‘ top 30 event next week, a league source tells Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The linebacker met with the Bills yesterday.