This Sunday, America was introduced to the Denver Broncos' rookie safety Will Parks:
Now, not only do I share a first name with Will, I've also been a big fan of his ever since the Broncos drafted him out of Arizona in the sixth round of the 2016 draft. Parks has been, to this point, the biggest steal of what seems to be one of John Elway's better draft classes. Why did he fall? Well, ever since the Seahawks gave a woodshed beating to the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, the NFL has decided that they want their safeties to be built like Kam Chancellor (6'3" 235 lbs), and the general wisdom has been that you need big bodied defensive backs to keep up with the increasingly huge wide receivers coming out of college. At 6'1" and 192 lbs, Parks isn't leaping off the page to scouts, who assume that he lacks the physicality to keep up with the likes of Dez Bryant and Kalvin Benjamin.
Those scouts shouldn't have been so lazy, and maybe watch some game film. Such as this little beauty showing just how well Parks holds up in coverage on 6'5", 245 lbs Oregon St. WR Jordan Villamin:
So... he seems pretty capable of covering big-bodied receivers to me.
Another reason I'm such a fan of Parks, stems from a lot of similarities in our personalities. Like me, Parks has a goofy, energetic personality and an almost childlike wonder for the world of the NFL in which he has found himself. Just listen as he bubbles over with enthusiasm after his first ever career interception:
Notice how, when asked about being 3-0, he just seems genuinely psyched and amazed. "Damn, damn" he says.
Damn indeed.
And, another similarity:
Will Parks appreciates the art of a sports training montage:
I too have dabbled in "Sports Training Montages":
(Montage starts at 3:24)
As have Colorado heroes Trey Parker and Matt Stone:
Bonus bit of Broncos #hottakes for you. Apparently, placekicker Brandon McManus can tackle:
Who knew?
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