Brian Parker II headed to NFL, won’t play in Sun Bowl
Offensive tackle Brian Parker II is entering the NFL draft and won’t use his final season of eligibility, a source confirmed to Devils Illustrated. Parker also won’t play for Duke in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.
The news was first reported by Pete Thamel of ESPN.
It should not come as a surprise. Parker is a fourth-year player who’s been a two-year starter for Duke’s offensive line. He has been one of the highest-graded offensive players for Duke in each of the past two seasons, per Pro Football Focus.
Parker’s overall grades on PFF have been 78.9 for last season and 85.0 for this year. In 1,345 pass-blocking snaps recorded by PFF, Parker allowed four sacks.
The Cincinnati native was named a third-team All-America pick by the Associated Press earlier this week, and was a second-team pick by Walter Camp.
His departure means Duke will need to replace three starters on this year’s offensive — two of them being the tackles. With Parker on the right side, Bruno Fina has been a two-year starter at left tackle. Justin Pickett has played over 2,000 snaps in his five-year career for the Blue Devils, the vast majority of those coming at right guard. Fina and Pickett are both out of eligibility.
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