Jacob Parrish, Kansas State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Parrish was a three-star recruit from Olathe North High School in Olathe, Kan. in the class of 2022
Kansas State cornerback Jacob Parrish secured a top 100 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft with a strong performance at the Senior Bowl. He’s a densly build defender who projects best as a nickle, but don’t rule out a team giving him a shot to stick outside.
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Jacob Parrish, CB Kansas State: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Junior cornerback from Olathe, Kan.
Background: Parrish was a three-star recruit from Olathe North High School in Olathe, Kan. in the class of 2022. He was the No. 1,869 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,932 for On3.com. Parrish was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 73 grade out of 100. He played running back, wide receiver, and defensive back in high school. As a senior, he earned All-State honors for carrying the ball 94 times for 788 yards and ten touchdowns, catching 29 passes for 519 yards and six touchdowns, and tallying 55 tackles, an interception, 11 passes defensed, and a fumble recovery. Parrish also returned kicks and punts, scoring twice on kick returns as a senior. He totaled 49 tackles, three interceptions, eight passes defensed, and a forced fumble as a junior. That season, he ran 123 times for 762 yards and eight touchdowns and made 25 receptions for 536 yards and six touchdowns. As a sophomore, Parrish ran for 389 yards and four touchdowns on 71 carries and made 15 receptions for 258 yards and three scores. He tallied 33 tackles and two interceptions on defense. Parrish also competed on the basketball and track and field teams. He won 6A State Championships on the track as a senior with a 10.47 100-meter dash and a 22.47 200-meter dash. Parrish’s personal best in the 200 was 21.83. He also ran a 49.14 400-meter and competed in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Parrish was born on Feb. 29, 2004. His older brother, Jevon, wrestled at Nebraska.
Injuries & Off-Field: Missed 2023 Oklahoma State game due to injury
Awards: 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big 12, 2024 Honorable Mention All-Big 12
Pros: Age, special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, explosive athletic testing, dense frame, plays above his size in press, aggressive two-handed jams hold receivers at LOS, physicality stalls larger receivers near the LOS, attacks and re-routes outside releases, compresses outside releases along the sideline, quick to close and get in phase from soft shoe press, quick to recognize and crowd slants out of press, times contact well on slants, good job recovering when beaten at the line out of press, reads the quarterback’s eyes, anticipates and jumps digs and outs from off-man, closing burst to stay attached or undercut routes, quick to close and limit YAC, quick downhill trigger on screens and swing passes, no fear stepping down to fit the run, competes to separate from blocks and redirect to the ball, makes one-on-one tackles in space to limit YAC, stays square as a tackler in the run game
Cons: Penalized seven times in 2024, limited exposure to the slot, undersized for an outside corner, arm length, clearly more comfortable and instinctive in man than zone, arm length limits jams in press, punch in press accuracy varies, too eager to open hips and run, caught flat-footed at LOS, vertical testing speed doesn’t always translate, fell behind burners on go routes, grabbiness will result in holding calls, grabs and tugs receivers downfield, hip tightness impacts ability to decelerate and gather, tightness in forward drive/hip transitions out of half turn, struggles to stay attached to receivers on comebacks and curls, occasional balance issues lead to stumbling, significant issues navigating the middle of the field vs. Arizona (2024), loses his mark on extended plays, grab and drag tackler, slips off tackle attempts, frame limits tackle strength, difficulty separating from stalk blocks
Overview: Parrish is a young, densely built cornerback who lacks the traditional size and length to play on the outside. His arms measured 31 1/4 inches at both the Senior Bowl and his pro day. Even if Parrish isn’t a Day 1 starter, he has the special teams background to contribute as a rookie. He possesses extensive coverage experience, operating in a lot of Cover 2, Cover 3, and quarter-quarter-half to both the field and boundary. He takes a very limited number of snaps in the slot. Parrish is comfortable playing man coverage in press, soft shoe press, or off. He is a true man corner whose instincts and comfort level don’t cleanly translate to his reps in zone. Parrish punches above his weight in press, hounding receivers throughout their releases. He delivers powerful two-handed jams that keep receivers at the line of scrimmage or re-route receivers into the sideline. This aggressive style comes with some drawbacks. Parrish got called for seven penalties in 2024. His limited length prevents some of his jams from connecting, and his punch accuracy varies. The All-Big 12 honorable mention quickly jumps on the receiver from off-man and soft shoe press when he feels they become vulnerable to contact in their route stem. He identifies and drives on slants to contest short passes. Parrish lacks consistent poise. Sometimes, he opens his hips and begins to run too early. Other times, he’s flat-footed at the line and immediately finds himself trailing the receiver. He tested like an explosive athlete at the NFL Combine, but that speed doesn’t always translate. Parrish recovers well when beaten off the line, but true burners create separation downfield. He gets grabby downfield and will draw more pass interference calls in the NFL. Parrish posts nice reps downfield too, where he’s tight on the wide receiver’s hip and keeping perfect pace. The junior suffers from some hip tightness that impacts his ability to decelerate and gather on comebacks and curls or transition out of his half turn. Parrish reads the quarterback’s eyes and instinctively jumps digs and outs from off-man. His closing burst allows him to undercut routes and make plays on the ball or simply eliminate opportunities for yards after the catch. Parrish fearlessly sticks his nose in the box and steps downhill to fit the run or attack screens. He competes to escape stalk blocks and makes one-on-one tackles on the perimeter. Unfortunately, his block deconstruction is underdeveloped, and he sometimes relies on dragging down ball carries. This leads to him slipping off tackle attempts.
Overall, Parrish is an aggressive, instinctive future NFL nickel who plays above his height and weight. He’s at his best when allowed to jam and re-route receivers at the line of scrimmage. Parrish has the recovery speed to carry receivers downfield, but his discomfort at depth leads to some misplays and separation. His work in zone lags behind his man coverage profile.
Role & Scheme Fit: Nickel defender in a Cover 3-heavy scheme
Round Grade: Third Round
Size: 5'9 3/4", 191 lbs. (NFL Combine)
Submitted: 11-20-24
Updated: 04-12-25