He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the first round (seventh overall pick) of the 1976 NFL draft and spent nine seasons with that club.

In his NFL career, Pruitt appeared in a total of 152 games, gained 7,378 rushing yards and scored 56 touchdowns.

He attended Wendell Phillips Academy High School in the Bronzeville District of Chicago.

[2] He was known for his combination of speed and strength, having been clocked at 4.4 seconds over 40 yards and bench pressing 425 pounds.

[4] He also set a Purdue school record on November 2, 1974, with a 94-yard touchdown run against Iowa.

[7] Pruitt was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the first round (seventh overall pick) of the 1976 NFL draft.

At the end of the 1979 season, he was named a first-team all-conference player and was selected to play in the 1979 Pro Bowl.

[1] After the 1979 season, Pruitt described his first two years in the NFL as the toughest in his life, but noted that "all that has changed now and I don't look back or worry about that now.

[1] Pruitt helped lead the 1980 Cleveland Browns to an 11–5 record and a first-place finish in the AFC Central Division.

[1] Browns coach Sam Rutigliano said that, when Pruitt returned after a 57-day layoff resulting from the strike, he was "a shell of the guy" he had been and was not ready to play, "either mentally or physically.

[1] The Browns released Pruitt in early September 1985, as part of the final round of cuts before the start of the regular season.