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DeVante Parker was selected 14th overall by the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night. It certainly sounds like Louisville fans are generally happy for that spot with Parker. If it couldn’t be the Vikings, at least it wasn’t the Browns. That is the feeling I got from social media, and rightfully so.
We already know about DeVante and how good he is. I decided to check in on a couple of media outlets from down in Florida to see what they thought of him. Most of it is quotes from Dolphins management, but also some opinion thrown in there.
From sun-sentinel.com:
“He’s a guy we’ve had our eye on for a while,” Dolphins General Manager Dennis Hickey said about the selection of Parker, who becomes the fifth receiver the Dolphins have drafted in the first round, joining Randall Hill (1991), O.J. McDuffie (1993), Yatil Green (1997) and Ted Ginn Jr. (2007).
“We couldn’t be more happy to add him to our Dolphins family,” Hickey said of Parker, who was one of the first draft prospects to visit the Dolphins’ Davie facility on the 30 visits each team is allowed. “He can really impact us on the outside, impact us in the red zone. We added a quality player to our team.”
“To get one of the big three receivers that was a step above the rest was the goal,” Dolphins owner Steve Ross said, admitting the Browns’ pick at No. 12 made him nervous. “We were getting phone calls from people offering some pretty interesting things.”
From Greg Cote of the miamiherald.com.
The people who should be thrilled by Louisville wide receiver DeVante Parker joining the Dolphins as Miami’s first-round pick in the NFL Draft on Thursday night:
The Dolphins, Dolfans, Parker, quarterback Ryan Tannehill and, OK, if you’ll forgive a second of immodesty … me, too.
“When he was still there at 14 there were a lot of high fives,” general manager Dennis Hickey said of the scene in Miami’s draft room. “We were excited to make the selection. Adding a playmaker to our offense was one of our goals. He’s a guy we’ve been following and tracking and he was by far the best player available for us. That was an easy decision.”
He’s a team-leader type, a willing blocker, too. He’ll be a red-zone force who reminds some of Bengals star A.J. Green. He is a No. 1-caliber pass catcher who finishes the arsenal at Tannehill’s disposal — and gives the young QB a chance to find his ceiling and be as good as he can be.
It also is worth noting that Parker is a hard worker and a strong character guy, something more and more important in the NFL and also in Miami. Wallace wasn’t always that. Suspended draft bust Dion Jordan sure wasn’t.
Parker brings no red flags, no concerns.
Thursday night was fun in the Dolphins’ draft room.
The team added a playmaker, some explosiveness, a little excitement.
The team got better.
