2020 NFL Draft: High expectations for Colby Parkinson

Colby Parkinson will be a focal point off the Stanford offense in 2020 and David Shaw has high expectations for the intriguing Cardinal tight end.

Colby Parkinson has put together a pretty impressive resume in two seasons at Stanford, and Cardinal head coach David Shaw expects him to be considered one of the best tight ends in the country come the end of his junior year.

Shaw, per Stewart Mandel of The Athletic, said:

"“Colby Parkinson is going to be mentioned among the best tight ends in America, if not the best.”"

His confidence is well founded. Parkinson has been a nightmare to defend in his two seasons on The Farm. In 19 games the 6’7″ and 240-pound Parkinson has turned 11 of his 39 catches into touchdowns, racking up 582 yards. Last year he averaged 16.7 yards on 29 receptions.

Stanford has been a tight end factory in recent times. Coby Fleener, Zach Ertz, Levine Toilolo, Austin Hooper and Dalton Schultz all played their college ball at Stanford before being drafted, with Kaden Smith joining them when he was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round this year.

Parkinson is primed to join that list and could do so as a first-rounder if he enjoys another strong campaign and Shaw’s prediction proves correct.

The NFL is a league in which the ability to find mismatches against slot defenders is being given ever increasing importance.

With his sheer size, Parkinson is a walking mismatch and his hopes of being taken in the first round were given a boost by Iowa pair T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant being taken there this year, demonstrating how highly the NFL values the tight end position.

Parkinson will likely see an uptick in his targets in 2019 as Stanford try to replace the production of Smith and fellow NFL draft pick J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Providing he successfully helps them do that, Parkinson’s name should be firmly in the conversation to be the first tight end off the board in 2020.