CLEVELAND: Desmond Trufant, the youngest of three cornerback brothers to play in the NFL, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds three years ago at the NFL Combine.
But when Browns receiver Terrelle Pryor matched up against the Falcons’ 2015 Pro Bowler on a deep route Thursday night, Pryor couldn’t have been more confident.
“I knew I had him when we called the play, I knew I was going to beat him,” Pryor said.
Told that Trufant had once been clocked in 4.36 seconds, Pryor said, “He has?” Unfazed, he added, “I’m fast.”
The former Ohio State and NFL quarterback didn’t mention that 4.38 was the same time the now 6-foot-4 and 223-pounder reportedly ran in his pro day before the 2011 NFL supplemental draft.
Pryor flashed past Trufant and nonchalantly caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Robert Griffin III on his hip as Griffin and Pryor again showcased their big-play chemistry in a 24-13 loss to the Falcons at FirstEnergy Stadium.
That lone catch by Pryor against the Falcons came on the heels of a 49-yarder he pulled in from Griffin in an Aug. 12 loss at Green Bay.
Pryor said the chemistry with Griffin has been there since the first minicamp.
“We’ve been like that all camp. All minicamp, all OTAs, it’s just now people are seeing,” he said.
Asked why it happened so quickly, Pryor praised Griffin’s ability to throw a deep ball.
“That’s what I’ve caught so far,” Pryor said. “He can throw it very well. Carson Palmer, Jason Campbell, those guys can throw it, too. He’s up there with those guys.”
After failing to stick as a quarterback with four NFL teams, Pryor began his transition to wide receiver last season, his third in the league, but was hampered by a lingering hamstring injury.
Now Pryor is creating a buzz in Berea.
“TP’s been making plays all camp, really all offseason,” Griffin said. “It’s been an amazing transition for him. I think everybody’s excited for TP.
“I’m a quarterback, he’s a quarterback, we’re the same high school graduating class, so it’s just been really cool to see the transformation. You can see the vibe on the sideline whenever TP makes a play. Everybody’s excited for him because they know how hard of a transition it’s been for him.”
A positive attitude has helped Pryor make that transition, coach Hue Jackson said.
“Terrelle Pryor continues to make strides at the receiver position, and he continues to do everything that is asked of him and take the attitude that he has a ways to go and he has a lot of work to do, which is good,” Jackson said on conference call Friday.
“It is good to see that he continues to stress that he’s not there yet and that he’s got to continue to work at it.”
Going into the Aug. 26 “dress rehearsal” game at Tampa Bay, Pryor has three preseason catches for 107 yards and a touchdown. Jackson said Pryor is sending a message to the league that he’s a deep-ball threat, even if he’s not a finished product.
“Oh, absolutely. Better back up because he’ll run past you,” Jackson said. “He’s made some huge plays, but he’s got to continue to get better. There were a couple times from an [illegal] formation standpoint it could’ve been called, but it wasn’t. We have to make sure we shore all that up. We need to be much better than we were tonight.”
Pryor didn’t give a definitive answer about where he is in his development. But what he said about the how the Browns offense is coming together might eventually apply to him.
“It takes time; it’s a process,” Pryor said. “The hard thing about it is nowadays is people don’t like going through the process to get to where you want to be. I know a lot of people who want to be rich right away, but it doesn’t work like that.
“We’re gradually building and we’re coming along. There are things we need to clean up, but we’ll get there.”
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.