The Jets landed their Louisville Slugger in the first round of the draft, and Calvin Pryor arrived at the team’s headquarters Friday morning.
Pryor, the hard-hitting safety from Louisville, met with the Jets staff and then talked to the media before returning to his Florida home Friday afternoon. He will come back to New Jersey on Monday to begin working with the Jets.
The 5-foot-11, 207-pounder arrives with a reputation for delivering huge hits, but there are questions about his coverage skills. Pryor said Jets fans have nothing to worry about.
“I’m very confident in my ability, first and foremost,” Pryor said. “I feel like I have the complete package as a safety. Most people know me as a hard-hitting safety because I had a few hard hits in college. But when you watch my film, you see that playmaking ability that jumps out at you, a guy that’s flying around and has passion for the game.”
One trip to YouTube to watch highlights of Pryor will show anyone just what he can do on the field. He is an instinctive player who is not afraid to come up in run support or deliver a knockout blow to a wide receiver.
Texas coach Charlie Strong, who coached Pryor at Louisville, said the Jets are getting a special player.
“He’s an unbelievable worker,” Strong said in a phone interview Friday. “The only thing he’s going to do at that level is get better and better and better.”
The Jets defense not only struggled against the pass, they also failed to force many turnovers (15 total, 31st in the NFL). Pryor should help. He had seven interceptions in three seasons at Louisville and caused nine fumbles.
Jets coach Rex Ryan referenced Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor’s big hit on Demaryius Thomas in February’s Super Bowl.
“Believe me, there is a huge thing with his hitting ability; big hits still win games,” Ryan said. “They’ll flip the momentum of a game faster than anything in my opinion, and I’ve always said that, and this young man will provide that for us.”
Pryor agrees.
“It definitely can set the tone of the game,” he said. “And most receivers and quarterbacks, guys on the offensive side of the ball, they don’t like being hit like that. So, when you see someone have an impact like that and can be very physical on defense and knock guys out, it can become an intimidation factor.”
Strong said Pryor not only delivers the big hits, but he can make plays all over the field.
“He’s a big hitter,” Strong said. “He doesn’t mind putting his face on people and has unbelievable instincts in the middle of the field. He has enough range and speed that he can cover the middle of the field from sideline to sideline.”
One executive with another team said they see Pryor as more of a strong safety than a free safety, but he might be able to play both. At the moment, the Jets don’t have a true free safety on the roster.
Strong said Pryor will be fine in coverage.
“He has great cover skills,” Strong said. “We play a lot of man coverage because we blitz a lot. He can cover a tight end, a running back, a wide receiver. That’s not an issue with him.”
The NFL has come down on defensive backs in recent years for hard hits. If Pryor lives up to his reputation, he may end up getting penalized and fined. But he said he’s not worried about it.
“Coach Ryan just said, ‘Just be yourself,’ ” Pryor said. “In college I had clean hits, I used my shoulder pads and I don’t lead with my helmet. So, if I just continue to do the same thing I’m pretty sure we won’t have a problem.”