Parrish gets a glowing endorsement from Barber:
"I like his tape and because he’s not coming off an injury, I think he’s the more immediate contributor, if you ask me,” Barber said when comparing Parrish to second-round pick cornerback Benjamin Morrison.
“The one thing that differentiates this kid from some other smaller DBs is his ability to tackle. He’s not only willing, but an effective tackler, especially in the open field.
“I heard somebody describe him as ‘short but not small.’ That’s a perfect description for this guy because he’s a great open field tackler. Like he’s not scared to put his chest on people and bring bit people to the ground. And I feel like his confidence, you know, not only playing in pass coverage but in run defense, I think makes this guy one of our really, really impactful early rookies.”
Yeah the film checks out. I think he is going to thrive in the NCB role here and he will probably play more than Morrison because of it. There will be some struggles of course year 1 but Parrish has great traits to be successful here. He is well versed in man/zone and shows great instincts to coupe with his tackling ability.
cant wait to see it live!
He actually might be a legit corner for us. All the tape looks good for rookies but you can actually point to some plays that normally corners in college can't make or won't make. We needed help there too so hope he works out.
Barbe ralso really likes Walker
“When you put the film on, you’re like, ‘Holy Cow!’ Barber said of Walker on his WFLA-TV show. “This dude has this mentality. This kind of like doggish, underdog mentality that makes people respect him. So this is my No. 1 impact rookie.”
I think the best way to interpret Parrish is that he is a more athletic version of Izien. I wouldn't be surprised if Parrish can play safety too and Bowles like his safeties on the shorter side anyways. But Bowles also said that since he plays bigger than his size indicates that he can handle playing boundary. Barber supporting that statement but pointing out his run stopping is the key. You can not play boundary CB in Bowles defense if you can not come up in run support.
Barbe ralso really likes Walker
“When you put the film on, you’re like, ‘Holy Cow!’ Barber said of Walker on his WFLA-TV show. “This dude has this mentality. This kind of like doggish, underdog mentality that makes people respect him. So this is my No. 1 impact rookie.”
Walker is insurance in case Braswell/Reddick flame out so that way Diaby has someone opposite of him that can bring some juice. Walker definitely is going to see playing time as he isn't your typical rookie rusher. Elvis Dumervil is a good comparison of David Walkers game as he is like the taz mania devil out there when he plays. Ferocious, aggressive, uses speed and power.
I'm gonna say it now Morrison will be the eventual alpha in the CB room in a couple of years. The kid smells blood in the water and hes taking CB1, injuries aside
I'm gonna say it now Morrison will be the eventual alpha in the CB room in a couple of years. The kid smells blood in the water and hes taking CB1, injuries aside
I won't be surprised. I like him a lot as a prospect. The only question mark is how he recovers from that hip injury.
Yea injuries are always tricky, hes an eventual CB1 maybe not this year but eventually. Hip labral different then will johnsons degen knees. I think of todd gurley when i think degen knees good first contract, but second contract those knees are gonna nag you for the day to day
I like Parrish but this is a win now season and I'd be more comfortable if they signed Asante Samuel Jr for the slot and have Parrish for depth and special teams in 2024. but Samuel isn't really physical so Bowles won't want him for the slot. I'm just worried we're putting too many eggs in young baskets and depth in the secondary could be an issue again.
As others have pointed out if Hall/Morrison/Parrish show out it is possible they move McCollum to slot so I think that is why Bowles hasn't settled on anything yet with the secondary. TC will be very interesting for this reason because I think Bowles is going to do something different this year and put out the best five DBs on the field and then figure out where everyone plays similar to how teams do that with OL combinations.
think Bowles is going to do something different this year
Not sure that is actually different. Last year who was the talented DB sitting because they didnt need his position? I guess maybe you could say Smith will get more snaps at Safety?
I just think Bowles has options and real competition now, barring another crazy run of injuries. He has always been a coach looking for DBs with multiple skills sets ("jokers"). Its one reason he love McCollum so much