This is a good draft if you want a big, productive wide receiver, and Louisville's DeVante Parker is one of those big, productive guys who doesn't receive as much publicity as some other highly rated targets.
"He's worthy of a top-15 pick," NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah said Tuesday on "NFL AM".
Parker, who was listed at 6-foot-3 and 211 pounds by Louisville, had 43 receptions for 855 yards (19.8 yards per catch) during the 2014 season despite missing the first six games with a foot injury. Parker had 55 receptions and 12 TD catches in 2013, when he was Minnesota Vikings 2014 first-round pick Teddy Bridgewater's go-to guy.
Parker has a huge catch radius because of an 80-inch wingspan, and Jeremiah says Parker's speed is underrated.
"When you watch him, he's kind of a long-strider, so you don't necessarily think he's that fast," Jeremiah said. "But I've been told he's going to run in the high 4.3s/low 4.4s (in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine)".
Jeremiah has Parker as the draft's No. 9 overall prospect, and teams that could be interested in a wide receiver in the first round and in a position to grab Parker include the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
