Sure, DeVante Parker might have been the third wide receiver to come off the board during the 2015 NFL Draft. However, the Miami Dolphins’ first-round pick will likely make the biggest impact of any rookie wide receiver this upcoming season.
Why am I so confident in Parker’s talent? I put on the tape.
During his college career, Parker showed a very unique skill set. Not only does he have excellent size at 6’3’’, 210 pounds, but he has the wheels to hurt defenses down the field and amazing quickness in the open field. It’s rather impressive how many plays he can make after the catch, especially for someone of his size.
Oh, and his hands are pretty great. Wide receivers obviously need soft hands and the ability to haul in any ball within their catch radius – something Parker is more than capable of doing. He rarely lets the ball into his body, and does a great job of high-pointing the catch on jump balls. If it’s in his vicinity, chances are Parker is coming down with it.
There is some concern considering Ryan Tannehill will be the quarterback throwing to him during his rookie season, but the Dolphins appear to have complete faith in their signal caller. Early reports out of OTAs also indicate that Parker is very happy with his new partner in crime, so I guess Tannehill gets the benefit of the doubt.
Either way, Parker is poised to set the NFL on fire this upcoming season. The Dolphins have an exciting group of pass catchers (Kenny Stills, Jarvis Landry, Jordan Cameron) who can complement Parker and pull the coverage away from him. Even when defenses finally figure out how dangerous of a weapon he can be, it won’t matter – Parker is simply too talented to be slowed down.
It’s going to be an interesting 2015 campaign for the Dolphins, who made some big changes this offseason in hopes of returning to relevance. Parker is absolutely going to be a big part in their push for a playoff spot, and could end up emerging as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL before all is said and done.
I would say keep an eye out for Parker, but you won’t be able to miss him by the time the season is over.
