Oakland Raiders: What Does Terrelle Pryor Need to Improve?

Jun 3, 2013; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterbacks Terrelle Pryor (6) and Matt Flynn (15) throw passes at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

When the Oakland Raiders drafted quarterback Terrelle Pryor in the third round of the 2011 NFL supplemental draft, they weren’t quite sure what they were getting.

The Ohio State product was clearly not the solution to the Raiders’ quarterback problems, but he seemed like an above-average prospect at the time.

Now, with Matt Flynn and young rookie Tyler Wilson on the roster, it doesn’t look like the Raiders will have much use for Pryor. Both of those quarterbacks seem to be above Pryor on the depth chart, and deservedly so.

Flynn backed up the legendary Aaron Rodgers for several years while also serving as the backup to the stunning young gun, Russell Wilson. It’s clear that his time is approaching right about now.

Tyler Wilson continues to impress scouts and the team’s coaching staff at OTAs. He is even being said to be playing better than Flynn, but it’s hard to tell if any of this will mean much, as we have a long way to go until the regular season.

Regardless, Pryor seems to be getting less and less useful, and he has a very low chance of becoming the starting quarterback of the Oakland Raiders, at least in my opinion.

However, that doesn’t mean that the youngster can’t improve and make an impression later, or for another team. There are aspects of his game that he could work on, just like every other player in the NFL.

His throwing precision must really improve if Pryor wants to make the most of his time. His inability to throw a consistent tight spiral to his receivers is something that can not be ignored, and that is one aspect that I believe he must work on.

His deep throw is good, and he is usually accurate connecting to receivers downfield, but I feel that his short and mid-range throwing can improve a lot.

We all know that Pryor is a very speedy and mobile quarterback, so he doesn’t have to worry about that category. That certainly helps him and provides him with a legitimate advantage over the other quarterbacks that he will compete against.

Also, his leadership skills that he possesses and applies are to be credited as well. He has a knack for rallying his troops together and poising them for a key drive. We saw this a lot during his college football days as an Ohio State Buckeye.

Overall, Pryor is a young quarterback in the development phase, so if he can just improve his accuracy and tight spirals then I think down the road he can end up as a solid backup quarterback, maybe even a starter.