Terrelle Pryor and Braxton Miller have a few things in common.
For starters, each starred on falls Saturdays inside Ohio Stadium as the starting quarterback for Ohio State. Both revolutionized the position as dual-threat options with their ability to both run and pass. Each are what would be described as freakish athletes.
One more thing the two have in common, though, is a recent development. Both are currently undergoing positional changes as they each attempt to make the difficult move from quarterback — the position they’ve played their entire lives — to wide receiver. Pryor, in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and Miller in his final season with the Buckeyes.
Pryor is currently nursing a hamstring injury, so he did not participate in Friday night’s Orange & Brown scrimmage held at his former stadium in Columbus. His return to Ohio Stadium was well-received, though, and it would have been a chance for him to showcase his skills at his new position in front of the crowds who once cheered for him during his playing days at Ohio State.
Reports out of Cleveland prior to his injury, though, were all positive. Pryor has been very impressive to the Browns’ coaching staff.
“He’s been amazing. A lot of credit goes to the young man,” Browns general manager Ray Farmer said Thursday when speaking at the Columbus Morning Sports Report. “For a person to play one position for their entire career and then have to do something different, that’s a hard transition. But nevertheless, he does have the physical skills and tools to do it.”
And while Pryor is fighting to make the Browns roster for the upcoming season, Miller figures to be a big part of Ohio State’s offense in 2015 even at his new position. “I expect [Miller] to be an impact player,” head coach Urban Meyer said at Big Ten Media Days.
So, as a player who is going through a similar change, even though it’s at the NFL level, does Pryor have any advice for Miller?
“I just think studying the playbook, watch the receivers that have been doing it for a while and always work on your craft,” he said.
Sounds simple enough.
It’s a lot more complicated than that, though. Meyer himself has said he still has some questions about Miller’s switch. Can he run routes? Can he catch? How does he handle press coverage?
Coincidentally, Pryor is trying to answer those same questions for the Browns.
Both were once great quarterbacks for Ohio State. Now, each of them is going through a similar journey.
“There’s less opportunity in the NFL. There's not a lot of reps,” Pryor said. “It's not like college where you get a lot of reps for you to get the experience, but it's a difficult situation, difficult task.”
And right now, both seem to be up to the challenge.
