FB Lonnie Pryor Is Greg Jones 2.0
By Luke Sims
Jan 1, 2013; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles fullback Lonnie Pryor (24) runs for a touchdown against the Northern Illinois Huskies in the second half of the 2013 Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. FSU won 31-10. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
I don’t know how many of you guys are on the “Lonnie Pryor for Fullback” bandwagon, but you can sit down next to me. The more I hear about the undrafted free agent rookie, the more I like. The Jacksonville Jaguars have brought Pryor on to get a shot at the fullback position and, while we don’t know how he’ll do against NFL competition, he has been impressing. Pryor was singled out by head coach Gus Bradley as being a strong runner and a good blocker. Bradley hinted that a bigger ball carrier like Pryor could be of benefit to their approach to football. I’m not saying Pryor is going to be Mike Alstott, but he could easily be Greg Jones 2.0.
Here are some college highlights of Pryor’s senior season at Florida State. The run at 00:34 is particularly Jones-esque.
Like Jones, Pryor comes to the Jaguars out of Florida State. Also like Jones, Pryor used to be a ball carrying tailback before transitioning to fullback. Further like Jones, Pryor is a bit of a built player at 6′ 227 pounds – Jones is 6’1″ 248 pounds. With a little time, I’m seeing Pryor make the Jaguars’ transition away from one of my favorite all-time Jags a lot easier.
For comparison purposes, here is a short mix of Greg Jones running at Florida State. The quality isn’t great, but that’s Youtube for you
I couldn’t be more excited that Pryor is getting attention and I’m even more excited that he is with the Jaguars. He can lead block effectively and he can run the ball with some serious authority. He will still need to outplay Will Ta’ufo’ou for the starting fullback job, but I think Pryor may be able to.
It’s unlikely Pryor comes close to what Jones has been doing consistently for years in just his rookie season. But in Pryor I see the potential to develop into one of the better fullbacks in the league and make the memory of seeing Jones walk to the Houston Texans a little easier to bear. Things are looking up in Jacksonville.
– Luke N. Sims
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