2015 NFL Draft Scouting Report: DeVante Parker

Dec 28, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Louisville Cardinals wide receiver DeVante Parker (9) catches a touchdown pass as Miami Hurricanes defensive back Artie Burns (1) defends during the second quarter of the Russell Athletic Bowl at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

My Take

Strengths: The first thing that jumps out at me is the fact that Parker has only three drops since 2012. Then you take into account the types of catches he’s made and see he clearly has the best hands in the draft. Being 6’3″ with long arms, a high vertical leap and a subtle push-off gives him a great catch radius and makes him a deep threat.

His quarterback can simply throw it up there, no matter who’s around and he comes down with it. But that’s not all as he may not be Cooper but he can put his foot in the ground and separate. His route running often gets him behind a defenders and that’s why he averaged 20 yards per catch in 2014.

Weaknesses: He’s not the fastest guy in the world so he won’t be able to simply blow by defenders. That means corners won’t be afraid to peek into the backfield and jump routes because they’re not scared of being beat over the top. It was mentioned by Zlerlein that he was a bit slower when he came back from his foot injury but I’ll call that a question instead of a weakness.

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