Name: DeVante Parker
College: Louisville
Class: Senior
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 208
Background/Character | Leadership: 8.5 | Experience: 9.2 | Off-The-Field: 9.0 |
| Mental Capacity: 9.0 | Mental Toughness: 9.2 | Durability: 7.2 |
From a character standpoint DeVante Parker is as clean as they come. A passionate football player when on the field that just wants to compete. Parker showed a lot of class and selflessness by coming back for his final year at Louisville to help his teammates to another productive season, even after losing his head coach and starting quarterback, all while being projected as a possible first-round pick.
From a physical standpoint there is some concern with Parker’s durability. Parker suffered a foot contusion early in the 2014 season that caused him to miss seven games. While he rebounded from the injury with flying colors, he has dealt with numerous nagging injuries throughout his collegiate career, something teams will do their due diligence with at the combine.
Athleticism | Balance: 8.6 | C.O.D: 8.5 | Explosivness: 8.2 |
| Flexibility: 8.2 | Cordination: 9.1 | Body Type: 9.2 |
Parker is a freaky specimen that uses his unique skill-set to punish his opponents on the football field. At 6’3” and just 208 pounds, Parker carries a lanky frame that should only get bigger and stronger when he gets into the NFL. That lanky frame however, gives way to a staggering 80” wingspan which Parker uses to pluck the ball out of mid-air over his defender with ease. Parker has been clocked at a 4.39 40-time and will need a duplicate showing at the combine to help push him self past West Virginia’s Kevin White as the second best receiver in this class.
Saying that, when the pads are on Parker doesn’t have the straight-line speed that will scare every cornerback at the next level, and his get off at the line of scrimmage isn’t an area of strength. All in all though Parker is a very good athlete that has some shiftiness to him in the open field and can make people miss, but his body control and leaping ability are what make him great.
Running Talent | Game Speed: 8.7 | Quickness: 8.7 | Acceleration: 8.8 |
| Elusivness: 8.6 | Lateral Control: 8.8 | Vision: 7.8 |
Like mentioned above Parker should run close to a 4.4 40-yard dash time at the combine which is what scouts want to see. However, flip on the film and Parker doesn’t have that “wow” straight line speed that his clocked time may presume. Parker has a long and lanky body and because of it carries a long stride with him when running with the football. However, even with his long strides Parker is good after the catch and can make defenders miss in the open field with some sudden quickness and shiftiness.
Receiving Talent | Pass Catching: 9.3 | Concentration: 9.4 | High Pointing: 9.6 |
| Body Control: 9.2 | Reaction: 8.8 | Physicality: 8.6 |
A good athlete, solid forty-time, and can make people miss, but when you break Parker’s game down his receiving ability is clearly his “bread and butter”. Nobody in the country can go pluck a ball of out thin air with defenders draped over him quite like Parker can. His soft hands and leaping ability combined with his long arms make it nearly impossible to defend him one-on-one in a jump ball situation, which he has proved time and time again.
Parker uses exceptional body control and timing when the ball is in the air to adjust and come down with the catch specifically on fade routes and red zone opportunities. With his strong hands, Parker does a good job going over the middle and making the tough contested catch in tight spaces as well. Some receivers it just doesn’t matter who or how many defenders are around they can still make the contested tough catch, soon they’ll call that the “Devante Parker Law”.
Player Comparison: A.J. Green
Projected Draft Position: Mid-first round
Best Scheme Fit: Vertical passing game
Injury History: Missed seven games in 2014 with foot contusion
2014 Stats: 6 games, 43 catches, 855 yards, 5 touchdowns
Final Analysis
More of an athlete than a pure receiver heading into his collegiate career, Parker has progressed throughout his four years at Louisville, but still is far from polished when it comes to the nuances of being an all-around wide out. Getting off the LOS more efficiently and running more precise routes will be on his “to-do” list his first year or two in the NFL, and the thought of Parker improving in those areas starts to get down right scary when you think about how hard he is to defend right now.
With outstanding leaping ability and wingspan Parker has an advantage over his defender on any given play, and in a league that craves mismatches, Parker will be on the top of many teams wish list this upcoming draft. When going up against some of the nations top talent Parker didn’t skip a beat, making tough contested catches over players like Florida State’s P.J. Williams and Ronald Darby (both top-50 projections in 2015 draft). Parker’s big play prowess and ability to give offenses a legitimate advantage in one-on-one situations are the main reasons he will be selected in the first round.
Of course that is assuming his medical records check out by team doctors, including his foot injury he suffered at the beginning of 2014.