The NFL will have a supplemental draft on August 17. As of right now, former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor won’t be part of it.
Jason LaCafora of NFL Network reports that the NFL has sent a memo to all teams regarding the eligible players for the supplemental draft.
Per the report, Pryor isn’t on the list. Georgia running back Caleb King is.
That said, LaCanfora reports that Pryor could be ruled eligible at a later date. There aren’t many later dates left; the draft is set to occur in only eight days.
If Pryor is left out, it won’t be a surprise. The NFL has been sending out vibrations over the past several weeks suggesting that it would find a way to exclude Pryor. Ostensibly, the NFL wants to avoid allowing players to become eligible for the supplemental draft by simply quitting school and hiring an agent, even though: (1) Pryor could have entered the April 2011 draft; (2) Pryor left school after his head coach resigned; and (3) Ohio State has since determined that Pryor would not have been eligible for any part of the 2011 season. It’s possible that the league simply wanted to throw a bone to the NCAA.
Meanwhile, why hasn’t a decision been made? It’s almost as if the NFL is testing the waters to see whether public opinion favors or opposes keeping Pryor out before deciding what to do. Regardless of the ultimate decision, the kid needs to know where he stands, and soon.
If Pryor is indeed left out of the supplemental draft, Pryor would enter a Maurice Clarett/Mike Williams limbo. Pryor can’t transfer to an FCS school and play this year because he has lost all eligibility by hiring an agent. And he can’t enter the NFL. Unless he heads to Canada or the UFL, Pryor would have to sit this one out, entering the 2012 draft pool.
UPDATE: Agent Drew Rosenhaus says via Twitter than no decision has been made regarding Pryor’s status.