Can Brian Parker II Excel in Washington by Moving to Center?

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - JANUARY 02: Brian Parker II #53 of the Duke Blue Devils sets up to block Suntarine Perkins #4 of the Mississippi Rebels during the first half of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium on January 02, 2025 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Dustin Markland/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Brian Parker II, C/G
School: Duke | Conference: ACC
College Experience: Redshirt Junior | Age: 23
Height / Weight: 6’5” / 309 lbs.
Projected Draft Status: Round 4-5
Player Comparisons: Ethan Pocic, Connor McGovern

Player Overview

Brian Parker II was a Center in high school and one of the top college recruits at that position.  He also participated in lacrosse, baseball, and wrestling in high school.  He chose Duke and remained there for four years.

Parker was a reserve tackle as a freshman and played a bit in two games.  He had 33 starts over the next three years, mostly (28 games) at right tackle with five games at left tackle.  He was a right tackle exclusively last season.  For reasons that will be apparent in this profile, he moved to center after the season, and played at that position in the East-West Shrine Bowl. He impressed there with his progress in just a few practices and his ability to recognize defenses and call blocking assignment in the game.

His cousin, Dereck Lively II, played basketball at Duke and became a first-round pick in the NBA.

College Statistics

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 4/16/2026.

PFF rated Parker 83.9 on pass blocking and 82.9 on run blocking in 2025, with an overall grade of 85.  This was a top five rating for all offensive linemen (not just centers) in 2025.

• 2023:  1 sack
• 2024:  0 sacks, 9 pressures
• 2025:  3 sacks, 20 pressures

Accomplishments

• All-ACC Second Team in 2024 and 2025; AP First-Team All-ACC in 2025
• All-American Third Team in 2025
• East-West Shrine Game (played center)

Strengths

• Very good technician and student of the game: excellent hand use and grip, good balance, nice feel for blocking angles, feet are very good for an inside offensive lineman
• Versatile both for scheme (zone or gap) and position (C, G, emergency T)
• Especially good at inside zone blocks; does combination blocks with the guard exceptionally well
• Good, quick first step, good at walling off the defender
• Size is excellent for center

Weaknesses

• Did not play center in college until the East-West Shrine Bowl practices; he will have a lot to learn about the position
• Lack of length and elite movement skills make the move to inside offensive lineman desirable; can be beaten at tackle on the outside by fast, powerful edge rushers
• Not overpowering physically; could use more strength and pop in his blocks
• On the small side for guard or tackle, possibly limiting him to a reserve role only in those positions unless he can gain muscle and mass

Let’s See His Work

If you follow the link to the MockDraftable website, note the buttons at the top left that allow the reader to create spider charts for the player at different positions.  The chart shows him as a center, where the chart is compelling.  At guard he is much less outstanding, and for all OL not especially attractive at all.

The RAS charts tell a similar story.  Parker is in the top 10% of center prospects since 1987. Adam Peters would love this chart.  His only poor score is an agility test, the Shuttle, but the 3-Cone measure of agility is good.

For those who do not use RAS charts frequently, click here for the RAS website. Go toward the bottom of the page, see Position Switcher, select the new position (try offensive tackle), and then hit “Change Position” to the right.  This chart explains why he sees his future at center.  His RAS score drops from 9.13 to 8.28.  The tackle score isn’t a disaster, but it shows that he would go from being an outstanding prospect to one with several big question marks if he wanted to be a tackle.

Interview at the East-West Shrine game:

Game Film Analysis

I watched two games from 2025:  The ACC Championship game against Virginia and the Clemson game.  I chose the first game because it was an intense, competitive game (it went to overtime), and the strength of Virginia’s very good defense was its defensive line.  I chose the second because Brian Parker was matched for most of the game against T.J. Parker, an outstanding edge prospect who is expected to be a second-round draft pick this year.

My observations from the three games I watched from 2024 and 2025 are as follows.

First, this guy just quietly gets the job done.  I rewatched the Clemson game and was much more impressed the second time around.  It’s easy to overlook how well he plays because he is not flashy, but he rarely makes technical mistakes.  Length and speed can beat him at tackle, but that’s not an issue with the move inside.

In pass protection, he was especially good against T.J. Parker.  Brian consistently mirrored well, used his hands to keep the edge off-balance, and moved his feet (if not as quickly as T.J.).  Time after time, he rode the edge’s burst and quickness deep to the outside and behind the quarterback before being beaten.  Most of the time, the play was over long before that.  T.J. Parker did get a sack, but on that occasion the play should have been over – Brian Parker did not lose him until he was directly behind and away from the QB.  However, I do think that NFL edge rushers would get the better of him.  I kept waiting for T.J. to turn the corner or make a double move that would let his superior athleticism take him to the QB.  It just didn’t happen.

Duke often ran an inside zone scheme in these games, but sometimes also ran an outside zone.  Zone is built on movement more than power.  Parker had an excellent first step, very good lateral movement, an outstanding sense of timing (such as how long to hold the block).  I think he could excel in a zone scheme, using his technical skills and physical talents to stymie defenders even though he is not a dominating performer physically.  He was very good at climbing to the second level on blocks, and even though he whiffed one time that I saw, he was usually effective at that level. Parker did the things you would want from a center in those games.  Parker has showed good awareness of the defensive alignment, stunts, and blitzes.  He was very dependable.  Although he didn’t win every play, I saw no mental errors, and he was in the right place at the right time on most plays.

How He Fits on the Commanders

It is probably obvious that I am a fan of Parker.  He has the potential to be an excellent long-term starter at center for someone.  Could that be Washington?

The biggest issue is where he will go in the draft.  The best guess is the fourth round (MockDraftDatabase.com concurs), but I could see him going anywhere from the second to the fifth round. Some teams will highly value his promise at Center and versatility and will be tempted to draft him higher.  Others will be concerned about whether, and how quickly, he can make the transition to center and may drop him a round or two on their board for that reason.  The number of good centers this year also means that he may fall simply because teams that most need a center may prefer other good prospects.  He will be especially attractive to zone teams, but gap teams may see him as more of a physical project and might prefer other centers more ready-made for a gap system.

The Commanders do not have a second round or fourth round pick.  If they badly want him, they may need to take him in the third round (pick #71) if he is there.  However, I think that if they take a center in that round, it probably would be someone with experience at the center position and who might be able to start for Washington sometime in 2026.  Parker might be too big a risk at that point in the draft – although I personally would seriously consider it.  However, if Parker somehow lasts until pick 147 in the fifth round, he would be a wonderful selection. He may need a year to adapt to the center position, but his long-term promise is outstanding.  Unlike many centers in this draft, he can play well in both zone and gap schemes. He could be outstanding in a zone system, which Washington expects to lean on.  His size and ability to play multiple position on the line may make him more attractive than some center prospects who will be available at that point (such as Parker Brailsford, who I profiled recently).  Overall, Brian Parker II is an intriguing prospect who might end up in Washington if the draft cards fall just right.