Scouting Brian Parker
Earlier this month, the Jets confirmed the re-signing of former Chiefs tight end Brian Parker, who is expected to compete for a roster spot with the likes of Eric Tomlinson and Braedon Bowman.
The 24-year-old Parker is listed at 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, and was an undrafted free agent out of Albany in 2015. He played in nine games with the Chiefs as a rookie, catching one pass, but did not play last season. Parker was released in final cuts by the Chiefs last September and claimed by the Jets, but they released him two days later following a failed physical.
Background
Parker played more wide receiver than tight end in high school, while also contributing on the other side of the ball at defensive end, linebacker and cornerback. He attended college at Albany, where he had just three catches entering his junior year. However, he stepped up his production over his last two seasons, posting career-highs in receptions (39), yards (500) and touchdowns (five) in his senior year and finishing up with 72 catches for 1,006 yards and nine scores overall.
Despite these numbers, Parker was not drafted, although his stock had been said to have been on the rise heading into the draft. The Chargers signed him as an undrafted free agent and he played for them in preseason, catching one pass. He didn’t make it onto the final roster, but ended up getting signed by the Chiefs halfway through the regular season.
Parker made solid contributions as a blocker and on special teams with the Chiefs, although he only caught one pass. Heading into 2016, he had a solid preseason, catching another two passes and again impressing with his blocking. However, he was released during final cuts and his time with the Jets would be short-lived after a failed physical.
Usage
Parker can contribute as an inline tight end, as a move tight end and in the slot. Also, in 2016, the Chiefs were experimenting with him increasingly at the full back position, where he showed some promise. The Chiefs also ran a lot of formations with three tight ends on the same side of the formation and Parker was used in each of these three roles.
In his freshman year at Albany, Parker was moved temporarily to offensive tackle. While this only lasted a few weeks, this no doubt gave him some valuable experience as a blocker.
Measurables/Athleticism
Parker put together a series of good numbers at his pro day workout and the regional combine. He had 25 bench press reps, a 38.5” vertical and a 7.03 three-cone drill. One scout reportedly timed his 40-yard dash at 4.55 although the official time was listed at over 4.7. Watching Parker on film, he doesn’t appear to have explosive acceleration, but proved capable of running away from linebackers and overpowering defensive backs.
Deep threat
Parker lacks the natural burst to blow past a defender for a long pass over the top, but certainly caught his share of downfield passes in college by leaking out into an open area or running down the seam to catch a contested pass. At Albany he had a lot of success on corner fade type routes.
He showed some big play capabilities when he was younger. As noted, he only had three catches entering his junior year, but these had gone for 57 and 55-yard scores and a 29-yard gain.
Routes
Parker actually looks pretty fluid running routes, making effective breaks and using his body well to create natural separation. At the NFL level, he doesn’t seem to have had much success running away from defensive players, but in limited action, he’s shown an ability to maintain an initial leverage advantage using his size and strength as he works his way down the field.
Hands
Parker’s hands seem solid, as he is capable of catching passes in traffic and does a great job of adjusting to the ball in the air. While he doesn’t make a lot of highlight-reel type catches, he showed soft hands on one pass thrown slightly behind him in college.
Here was one catch from an NFL preseason game which saw him high-point the ball and hang on in traffic:
The only drop I saw from Parker was on a pass that appeared to go through his hands as he ran an out pattern in a preseason game. It was difficult to tell from the footage whether or not he should have had that one.
Yards after the catch
Parker hasn’t had many opportunities to show what he can do after the catch at the NFL level, although his one preseason catch with the Chargers saw him leak into the flat and then turn upfield to gain 14 yards.
In college, this was one of his more impressive areas. He’s capable of dragging defensive backs for extra yardage, or stiff-arming them away from him, but he also surprises with a deft side-step. He uses that to break away from defensive players in tight areas and turn short passes into nice gains.
Here’s an example of how difficult he is to bring down:
Red zone
With nine touchdowns over his last two seasons in college, Parker did display some red zone abilities. As already mentioned his route running and ability to catch the ball in traffic are solid. He’s also extremely adept at going up to get a jump ball and shows good awareness to stay inbounds by the sideline.
Run Blocking
Blocking will be the key to Parker’s ability to make the team and he’s done a decent job so far at the NFL level. His footwork is good and he has strong hips, which allow him to be effective in space and drive defensive backs out of the play. (Note: Parker wore #82 with the Chiefs and #80 at Albany).
On his college film there are moments of complete domination against smaller defenders, either driving them well out of the action or putting them on their back:
If there’s a weakness, it’s that he will sometimes lose leverage at the point of attack and allow his man to penetrate into the backfield. He will also look raw technically at times, especially when trying to sustain blocks, but he is capable of overcoming this though persistence and effort.
As noted, the Chiefs occasionally used Parker as a lead blocker from the full back position and he displayed some promise in these situations. On the play below, he locates his target and seals him to the inside. On an earlier play in the same game, his lead block on the edge sprung a 20-yard gain:
They would also line him up in the slot to use him as a blocker on screen passes. He had mixed results on these as a couple got blown up, but he executed his block well on this play:
Pass Blocking
Parker hasn’t been required to pass block very often since entering the NFL. In preseason action, he gave up one quarterback hit, although that was a situation where he stayed in front of his man, but the quarterback rolled out to his side and then the pass rusher was able to disengage and pursue upfield.
Special Teams
Parker made some good contributions as a blocker with the Chiefs, primarily on the kick return unit. However, he was also employed really effectively as a vice on the punt return unit. He also played kick coverage but did not make much of an impact there.
In college, he returned one punt for 21 yards.
Instincts/intelligence
Parker has good field vision and was on the academic honor roll in college. He’s been flagged for just two penalties in preseason and regular season action, one for a false start and one for holding. He did appear to be fooled on a fake punt while playing on the punt rush unit, although the attempt proved unsuccessful anyway.
Attitude
Parker has a good work ethic and gives a solid effort through the whistle. He shows some emotion on the field, but largely keeps himself under control.
Injuries
Parker is presumably healthy again now, having failed his physical with the Jets last year. He had reportedly been dealing with a shoulder strain while with the Chiefs, but they had claimed this was not serious.
Conclusions
When the Jets did their "mini-draft" last season – claiming Parker along with Bowman, Darryl Roberts and Troymaine Pope – the hope was that he’d be the pick of those four players. Parker was the only one with regular season experience and had made some contributions as a blocking tight end, an obvious area of weakness for the Jets.
Now that he’s healthy again, Parker will finally get a chance to fill that spot. However, the unfortunate news for him is that when Tomlinson was already added to the team halfway through the season and showed a lot of promise as a blocking specialist. It’s therefore going to be a lot tougher for Parker to earn himself a role than it would have been last year. That uphill climb will become even steeper if the Jets draft a tight end or two.
Parker’s film showed some good blocking ability, which was in line with expectations. However, his pass catching ability was less anticipated. Although he’s caught just four passes for 40 yards in preseason and regular season action, his college film shows that Parker has some abilities in this area which he’s yet to fully display against NFL opposition. That may be where he needs to turn some heads in order to pose a threat to Tomlinson for that specialist role.
UP NEXT
Tomorrow, we'll take a look at former Packers defensive lineman Mike Pennel.