"It's a debate that really isn't a debate at all. More of a slam dunk, really.
Similar to the dunks Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor threw down with regularity as a high school basketball star at Jeannette High in southwestern Pennsylvania.
If you are Al Davis and have a chance to put a once-in-a-generation athlete on the Raiders for the cost of a third-round pick or later, you do it.
If you are Jim Harbaugh, looking to build the talent base and remember Pryor as a guy most of the country thought superior to Andrew Luck as a high school senior, you give the hard sell to general manager Trent Baalke.
The debate over what position Pryor will play isn't a debate at all. Quarterback? Wide receiver? Maybe even an Antonio Gates-type tight end?
Doesn't matter. You worry about that later.
Pryor left Ohio State not long after coach Jim Tressel resigned in the wake of NCAA violations that included trading memorabilia for tattoos. There is an ongoing investigation that could result in USC-type sanctions, which would be a body blow to a traditional power.
His reputation in tatters, Pryor can apply for the NFL supplemental draft or begin his career in Canada or the UFL. ESPN reported Thursday that Pryor is focusing on the NFL.
An NFL spokesman said a supplemental draft can be held, lockout or no lockout. Prospective draftees must present their cases for being included in an application. It's roughly similar to the 2011 draft in terms of order. Whatever pick is spent is lost in the next draft.
Early speculation is that teams are looking at Pryor at some point after the third round. That means Pryor essentially becomes a third-round pick (or later) in the 2012 draft for the team that selects him.
(The Raiders are without second- and fourth-round picks because of previous trades, meaning they don't have a supplemental pick in those rounds. The 49ers have their full complement of picks.)
That's great value for a player who in a lot of ways resembles Cam Newton, the Heisman Trophy winner out of Auburn and soon-to-be multimillionaire taken No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers in April."
