Background

Brian Parker II grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and attended St. Xavier High School, where he helped the team win a state championship as a junior and earned back-to-back Greater Catholic League Offensive Lineman of the Year honors. His cousin is Dereck Lively II, who played one season of basketball at Duke before becoming a first-round NBA pick. A consensus three-star recruit, Parker chose Duke and redshirted in 2022 with just eight snaps across two games. He earned seven starts in 2023 and won the team's offensive Rookie of the Year award as Duke's line ranked third in the ACC in sacks allowed per game. He started 13 games at right tackle in 2024, earning Second-Team All-ACC, then started all 13 games at right tackle in 2025 with First-Team All-ACC honors as Duke won its first outright ACC Championship since 1962. At the East-West Shrine Bowl he transitioned to center and guard, a position he had played in high school, and scouts praised how natural he looked on the interior. He declared for the 2026 NFL Draft as a redshirt junior.

Physical Attributes

Parker is a very average athlete. He moves smoothly and fluidly, but never fast. He has good strength, but finds it difficult to really impose his will on others. If you like big, hulking centers, you will like Parker; if you like athletic, agile centers, you might not.

Data and Tape Analysis

If you are unfamiliar with my OL radar charts, you can find more information here

Parker played as a tackle in college, but his future is as a center in the NFL. It is easy to see why. He wins through his smarts, one of the most important parts of playing a center, and those same smarts do not translate as directly to the outside.

At tackle, he struggles with speed and power that he just will not see at the same level playing center. He is much better when he has a larger view of the field and uses his smarts to sort out the threats in front of him. He holds up well when he gets his hands on a defender, and survives initial bursts, if not a defender running full speed at him. Parker's mirroring is top-notch, and he keeps a good base under him as he slides.

In the run game, his size and ability to work in doubles make him a great fit for a zone scheme game. He has a good sense of when to get off his first block and find the second, and takes great routes to that second level. The pathfinding he has helps mitigate his more average athleticism by taking out a ton of wasted movement. On smaller defenders, he finds it easy to latch on and get displacement.

You do not really want to use him in a gap scheme though, as he does not have the one-on-one power required. Telling him to just go hit someone wastes his ability to operate spatially and find the right person to block on the play.

Grade and Outlook

Parker looks like a really solid center prospect. Winning on his football IQ, the transition inside should be easy for him, and he will provide whatever team drafts him with solid to above-average play. Not sure that he shows the traits to be elite, but feel solid about his floor.

Grade: 5.3 (3rd Rounder)