PSR Showdown
Will DeJuan Blair or Terrelle Pryor be the better pro?
By Walt Villa
Pittsburgh Tribune Review

TP

DeJuan Blair can be a solid NBA player. Terrelle Pryor can be an NFL superstar. That's the difference, and it's major.

High ceiling? You can stand Shaq on top of Yao and still not reach Pryor's ceiling as a quarterback.

This column is not meant to diminish Blair, who had a great two-year run as Pitt's center. He and Pryor are two of the best athletes to come out of Pittsburgh-area high schools in the past decade.

But when it comes to pro potential, Pryor's stock is the one any sage investor would choose.

Blair is not without assets. He is a 265-pound wide body with long arms who creates space and grabs rebounds.

But at 6-foot-7, Blair is small for a modern-day NBA post player. It's likely Blair will struggle to get his shot off against the league's beasts.

Want proof? After scanning every NBA roster, there are only three 6-7 players who weigh at least 250 pounds, comparable to Blair: Jason Maxiell (6-7, 260), Malik Rose (6-7, 255) and Ryan Gomes (6-7, 250).

Maxiell, in his fourth NBA season, averaged 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds. Rose, a 12-year veteran, has career averages of 6.2 and 4.1.

Gomes, a fourth-year pro, averaged 13.3 and 4.8, at least offering hope Blair can be slightly better than mediocre.

Pryor, meanwhile, is a physical freak. A 6-6, 235-pounder with 4.3 speed and a big arm, he had a great debut at Ohio State. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and led the conference in passing efficiency.

The scary thing for Pryor's opponents is that after splitting time playing basketball in high school, this is the first time he has ever had the opportunity to concentrate fully on football.

He showed improvement this past spring, reading defenses at an advanced level for someone his age.

And that will be the key for Pryor. The physical gifts are obvious. If he can master the mental part of playing quarterback-and every sign shows he can-then he won't only break the bank, he'll own it.