It’s easy to see why William Moore wants the Falcons to make Louisville’s Calvin Pryor his new teammate.
Pryor is a physical safety known for delivering with big hits and who isn’t afraid to sacrifice his body in that effort.
That sounds a lot like Moore, who met Pryor when the prospect visited Flowery Branch on April 22.
“I really like his game,” Moore said. “He seems like a very confident guy. I sat down and watched his highlights, and if I had to pick a guy, that’s one of my guys I would pick. I really like the way he plays. I think he’s going to be really successful in the NFL.”
Falcons coach Mike Smith said he wants the team to be more physical after a dispiriting 4-12 season. He mostly was talking about the offensive and defensive lines, but if the Falcons want another big hitter to play alongside Moore in the secondary, Pryor fits the bill.
Ask Central Florida wide receiver J.J. Worton, one of three players Pryor knocked out of a game with big hits in 2013.
On Central Florida’s second play at Louisville in October, Worton caught a short pass and turned up the left sideline. Pryor ran across the field and smashed his left shoulder into Worton, who crumpled to the ground and fumbled out of bounds.
Pryor said he “had a few” great hits in 2013, but ranked that one the best.
“It’s all about mindset and how you’re going to attack the guy,” Pryor said. “You want to deliver the hit, you don’t want to take the hit.”
If Pryor were strictly a so-called “box” safety, good near the line of scrimmage in run support but lacking cover skills, he wouldn’t be one of the top safety prospects in the draft. Pryor can cover, too, as he showed on another play against Central Florida.
Pryor waited until quarterback Blake Bortles tried to loft a pass to Jeff Godfrey in the end zone, then rapidly closed ground to make a leaping, one-handed interception. Pryor tipped the ball to himself with his left hand and just managed to get his left foot down in play.
That was one of three interceptions in 2013 for Pryor, who said he takes pride in being a complete safety.
“I can play strong safety, free safety. I can come up and hit. I feel I can cover,” Pryor said. “(I’m) just a playmaker. And I’m a leader.”
It appears either Pryor or Alabama’s Ha Ha Clinton-Dix will be the first safety selected in the draft. For teams looking for safety, their preference may come down to their evaluation of how much ground the players can cover.
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said he rates Pryor slightly ahead of Clinton-Dix.
“Ha Ha Clinton-Dix may (have) a little more range over the top, but I just love Pryor,” Jeremiah said. “I love the physical way he plays the game, and I thought he was plenty capable of making plays at the (deep) safety, as well. … I just like those physical players. I think they provide an element to your defense that’s tough to find.”
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper said he plans to rate Pryor ahead of Clinton-Dix in his final draft evaluation. Kiper said he believes Pryor’s coverage skills are underrated, and his physical style gives him the edge.
Plus, Kiper docks Clinton-Dix for what he said is the underwhelming performance of Alabama defensive players in the NFL. As an example cites safety Mark Barron, the No. 7 overall draft pick in 2012 by Tampa Bay.
“It’s not just one or two, it’s a pretty good list of names you can throw out there guys who haven’t gotten it done on defensive side of the ball,” Kiper said.
Safety is among the many positions of need for the Falcons. The team released Thomas DeCoud after last season, leaving Moore as the only experienced holdover at the position. The Falcons added free agent Dwight Lowery, who was released by Jacksonville in November.
If the Falcons keep the No. 6 overall pick, it’s doubtful they would use it on Pryor or Clinton-Dix, who are projected to be selected later in the draft. The safeties could come into play if the Falcons trade down to accumulate more picks for depth.
Like Moore, Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said he would be glad if the Falcons draft Pryor.
“If we get him on our defense, he can make a lot of plays,” Weatherspoon said.
