Overview

Position: EDGE

College: Clemson

Class: Junior

Age: 21

 

Measurables

Height: 6’3 5/8”

Weight: 263 lbs.

Arm length: 33 1/8″

Hand size: 9 1/2″

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.68 sec.

10-yard split: 1.61 sec.

Vertical jump: 34.0″

Broad jump: 120.0″

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

Short shuttle: N/A

 

Strengths

Very good size on the edge. Tremendous overall strength. Very strong extending on the edge. Extends to hold positioning and will effectively disengage. Strong controlling tight ends on the edge. Quick shedding on the edge to tackle on inside runs. Very reliable wrap-up tackler in the backfield. Strong wrapping up to finish in general. Excellent play recognition. High effort working through blockers to make a tackle. Good quickness to cross to face of blockers crashing inside. Will pop ball-carriers tackling from backside pursuit. Patient with great technique reading out the play. Very good acceleration and speed at his size in pursuit. Shows agility chasing laterally. Aggressive tackling in the open field. Accurate striking ball-carriers in space. Athletic getting on fumbles. Hustle down the field shown on fumble recovery versus South Carolina (2025). Tremendous power shown on bull rushes. Quick hands using swipe moves as a rusher. Good ability to attack with a power move and convert to a speed rush with a rip. Great power extending and lifting opponents to free himself at the top of rushes. Uses his hands to battle late in the rush. Showed dip on the speed rush. Flashed a hop move to vary speeds as a rusher. Impressive balance around the edge to not slow down when he gets a step. Exceptional balance in general to keep his feet working through blockers. Effective working inside on TE stunts. Showed he can generate pressure late in games for clear passing situations. Saw snaps on both sides of the formation. Has experience shading inside. Athletic covering ground on zone drops. Highly impressive ability to flip his hips carrying vertical routes in coverage. Covered ground towards the sideline for a pass deflection on an out by LSU and celebrated like a defensive back (2025).

 

Weaknesses

Average twitch and explosiveness. Limited flexibility to turn the corner late. Average feel for where to attack lanes as a rusher. Would like to see him brush off weak chips rather than wasting steps engaging. Could focus on making a play rather than engaging at times. Can get overpowered and fail to disengage inside.

 

NFL comparison

D.J. Wonnum

 

Conclusion

Overall, Parker is a strong edge defender who does a very good job defending the run and shows powerful moves as a rusher. The question is whether the twitch and rush flexibility can improve for more consistent success versus NFL blockers in passing situations.

 

Big Board ranking: #56 | Positional ranking: #9