NFL Draft Prospect Spotlight: Kansas State CB Jacob Parrish
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ secondary struggled in a massive way in the back half of the 2024 season; specifically their corners. At one point in the year, I had a massive amount of faith in guys like Donte Jackson, Beanie Bishop Jr., and Cameron Sutton. As I write this soliloquy today, I wouldn’t be upset if none of those guys were on the roster in 2025, which obviously means that we’re going to have to add some talent this offseason. I fully expect Omar Khan to be all in on guys like D.J. Reed and Charvarius Ward in free agency. With that being said, both of those guys are entering their 30s, which is often when guys, especially DBs, fall off a cliff. I still have nightmares about Ike Taylor’s fall from grace over a decade ago. If the Steelers didn’t take a corner in the 2025 NFL Draft, I’d be absolutely beside myself.
Because I think the Steelers are going to address the CB position in free agency ahead of the draft, I don’t expect them to be looking at that position in the first 2 or 3 rounds of the draft. So, of course the Travis Hunters and Jahdae Barrons of the world sound nice, but thinking that they’ll be playing in the black and gold this fall feels like a pipe dream at this juncture. Jacob Parrish from Kansas State, though, feels like a reasonable place to start when thinking about corners that could be Pittsburgh Steeler(s) this fall.
NFL.com lists Jacob Parrish at 5’9, 196 lbs., which actually seems a lot bigger than he looks. There’s no denying that he is an undersized guy, but he sure as hell doesn’t play like it, which is why he’s one of my favorite CB prospects in this draft. One trait I’m always looking for in corners is a willingness to “lay the wood” so to speak. (Pause) As an inside zone defender, he really does a fantastic job of watching the QBs eyes, recognizing where the ball is going, planting his back foot, and driving on underneath routes to stuff them. He isn’t as useful as a deep zone defender, but I love how he plays in those underneath zone coverages. That doesn’t necessarily bother me, because if Pittsburgh was to take him in the draft, I think he would immediately be able to step in as their nickel guy and be a difference maker at the nickel spot.
That physicality that he plays with really jumps off the film, especially when Parrish is playing press man coverage. He’s punching above his weight class in these circumstances. In spite of his height, he showed a propensity, specifically in 2024, to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and stifle their release, and really throw off the timing of routes. It’s because of that physicality that I don’t worry much about his ability to play inside (slot/nickel) or outside in one-on-one situations.
I think the thing about Parrish that I like the most, that maybe could be missed by a casual fan, is the technique he plays with. The kid always seems to be square with the ball when the play is developing in front of him…but he also moves with tremendous fluidity in his hips allowing him to change direction and defend double moves without sacrificing balance or speed. If the deep ball is thrown his way, Parrish high-points the ball extremely well, although examples of this are few and far between, because, well, his man wasn’t targeted deep very often last year.
Of course, Jacob Parrish isn’t the perfect prospect, hence why he’s likely to be a mid-round pick, maybe late 3rd or early 4th round. I have mentioned his size on numerous occasions throughout this post, and rightfully so. Thankfully, he makes up for what he lacks (which is largely beyond his control) in his preparation, technique, and physicality. For that, I give him a bit of a pass for being undersized. One thing he doesn’t get a pass for, at least from me, is that he disappears in obvious run situations. I recall watching the Kansas vs. Kansas State game from last season; I wanted to check out some film of Devin Neal, RB from Kansas, and I kept an eye on Jacob Parrish throughout the entirety of the game as well. Parrish was, largely, a nonfactor against the run-heavy Kansas offense, which was disappointing. I hate to accuse guys of taking plays off, but it seemed, to me, at least in that game, that he lacked a willingness to get involved in the run game. It forces me to think of a guy like Beanie Bishop Jr. last season. Undersized. UDFA. Lacking in technique. Forced to take on a starting role he wasn’t ready for. All of those things are true, and it showed in the 2024 season. With that being said, he got his hands dirty and played the run at a higher level than I would’ve expected, and it added value to our defense. Jacob Parrish is, essentially, an undersized guy with the exact opposite characteristics. Do with that information what you will.
Overall, Jacob Parrish is a prospect I’ve fallen in love with over the past few weeks, because I think he could come to us at a bargain in the 2025 draft. If we were able to nab him at the end of day 2 or the beginning of day 3 of the draft, I think he could step in fairly quickly and make an impact as a NB for us, which is a position that struggled mightily for us last year. I can’t help but think that if he was just a few inches taller, he could’ve been a late-1st, early-2nd round pick. He’s definitely someone I’d want to see in Pittsburgh this year.
Follow me on twitter/x: @jay_newm
