Is Calvin Pryor this year's Tyler Eifert for the Bengals?

Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville

5'11" 207 lbs

40-yard dash: 4.58

Vertical jump 34.5"

Strengths:

Great hands and body control, which makes him a good INT threat. Aggressive player sometimes too aggressive. Plays downhill and is a "thumper" from the safety spot. If he hits you, trust me, you will feel it. Recognizes offensive schemes well and plays well in zone coverage. Instinctive with his pre snap and post snap reads, quickly picks up run vs pass. He is the on field general directing traffic to his teammates constantly.

Getting them into proper position and changing plays when necessary. Smart player knows the down and distance makes plays based on that. He keeps his feet and rarely dives for the legs to make tackles. He stays upright and squares up to make the tackle at the waist.

Pryor will go for the knockout blow when he can in fact he had a string of 3 games in a row where he knocked someone out of the game. In the NFL he will just have to be careful to use his shoulder pads not the crown of his helmet to avoid penalties.

Oozes confidence that can help give a lift to his teammates in key moments of the game. Will get in your face and let you know when he beats you just like Burfict does.

Weaknesses:

Takes bad angles at times in pursuit of RB in the open field. Bad angles over the middle of the field too does not see the blockers in time doesn't play the cut back well. (Key play 1). His over aggressive and over confidence can put him in bad spots sometimes.

Doesn't always wrap up on his tackles because he assumes the big shot will take them down. Players are bigger and stronger in the NFL so he will need to correct that to excel at the next level. Hasn't played much man coverage when he did he struggled a bit. (Cincy game)

Vs. UCF (and everyone's main squeeze Blake Bortles)

Key plays:

1) Blown up in traffic 0:18 (picture breakdown above)

2) One handed INT in endzone 0:45 (picture breakdown below)

3) Blitzes QB looks at play clock to time and jump the snap count 2:15 (picture breakdown below)

Vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

1) Breaks down and tackles RDA4 1:05 (very shifty scat style back that most NFL teams have)

2) Bad angle missed tackle 2:30

3) Great read stays at home on back side forces tough throw 3:00 (picture breakdown)

4) Aggressive angle to ball, arrives to soon and gets pass interference call 4:30

5) Gets his hips turned by the QB's eyes and gets beat deep 6:25

Final Thoughts:

Pryor reminds me a lot of Tyler Eifert last year. This is not a real "need" position but if you can add a really talented player you do. If last year wasn't enough proof that injuries always happen I don't know what is.

He would all most certainly start next to Nelson and could help on special teams if Iloka beats him out. He played on kickoff coverage in college. He is an exciting player to watch and has that "swagger" that we love from guys like Burfict.

If you put him behind Vontaze Burfict, opposing WR's will not want to catch balls over the middle. Most pundits think he will be long gone by the time the Bengals are on the clock.

The Bengals are being smart (I know we aren't used to this) and doing their due diligence with Pryor. The reason the NFL draft is on primetime TV is because craziness always ensues.

If he is there the Bengals will strongly consider him. It's a luxury pick but with the talent the Bengals have built on their roster they can afford to do this. The only thing that would concern me if he is picked is his lack of experience in man coverage. He has shown to be incredibly smart so I am sure he can quickly pick it up.

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These screenshots came from videos from www.draftbreakdown.com

Combine stats courtesy of www.NFL.com

Cody Tewmey

Draftnik Cincyjungle