When Oakland selected Pryor in the third round of the NFL’s supplemental draft last week, one of the first matters to tend to was choosing a jersey number for the scorned Ohio State star. Raiders coach Hue Jackson made one thing clear to Pryor: No. 2 won’t do.
According to Vittorio Tafur of the San Francisco Cronicle, the team told its newest quarterback they would not allow him to take No. 2, the same number that 2007 first overall selection JaMarcus Russell wore during his disastrous three-year stint with the silver and black. Pryor instead was spotted at practice donning the No. 6.
Russell’s overweight shadow (he reportedly showed up at his most recent NFL workout weighing over 300 pounds) still casts gloom over the Raiders and their fans. The former LSU Tiger went 7-18 in his career as a starter despite having tremendous size (6-foot-6) and arm strength (witnesses said they have seen him throw the ball 70 yards from one knee). After three years, Oakland finally cut ties with their franchise quarterback, who received $40 million guaranteed from the team, cementing Russell’s status as the biggest draft bust, dollar-wise, in NFL history.
On the bright side for Pryor, there’s nowhere to go but up from Russell, except in weight.
