2014 NFL Draft Profile: Calvin Pryor, S Louisville
By Adam Carlson
Dec 28, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Louisville Cardinals safety Calvin Pryor (25) waves his arms to the crowd in the fourth quarter as theCardinals beat the Miami Hurricanes 36-9 to win the Russell Athletic Bowl at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
While a lot of the talk surrounding Louisville in this year’s draft seems to be about quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, teams shouldn’t overlook safety Calvin Pryor.
Pryor may not look like that threatening of a player off the field, but as soon as he steps onto the field, he’s all business. He hits hard, plays physical, and isn’t afraid to throw his body around to get the desired results. He may look small considering his 5’11” height and 207 pound body, but he plays like a mack truck.
What makes Pryor even scarier is that he good hands. He can be overlooked on the field because of his lack of size and Pryor can make them pay for that by snatching the ball out of the air.
Between the forced fumbles from his hard hits and interceptions, this man can single-handedly change to face of a game with a single play.
Here are his statistics over three years at Louisville:
Oct 5, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Louisville Cardinals safety Calvin Pryor (25) celebrates making a play during the second quarter against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field. Louisville defeated Temple 30-7. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
137 solo tackles
218 total tackles
11 tackles for a loss
2 sacks
7 interceptions
18 passes defended
9 forced fumbles
Strengths
- Powerful hitter
- Strong tackler
- Excellent ball awareness
- Good hands
- Field awareness
Weaknesses
- Not asked to cover slot receivers often
- Can be overly physical at times
- Prone to penalties due to physical play
Fit For The Vikings
Pryor would be a good fit next to Harrison Smith, giving them one of the scariest and hardest hitting pair of safeties in the NFL.
My Take
If Calvin Pryor somehow is on the board when Minnesota makes their second round selection, he has to be the pick. His skill set and imposing physical threat would make him a great addition to the team.