TJ Parker Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Jerome Miron/IMAGN Images)

School: Clemson

Class: Junior

Position: EDGE

HT: 6’3

WT: 265 lbs

Background: TJ Parker was a high 4-star recruit in the class of 2023. He was a top 75 player nationally and top 10 defensive lineman in the class. Parker went to Central Phenix City High School in Alabama. As a senior, he had 16.5 TFLs and 12 sacks. He was selected to participate in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game as a senior. He also competed in the All-American Bowl after his senior season. After originally pledging to Penn State, Parker flipped his commitment to Clemson.

College: Parker earned Freshman All-American honors after posting 12.5 TFLs and 5.5 sacks in his freshman campaign. Parker had an even better season in 2024. He posted eye-popping numbers of 19.5 TFLs and 11 sacks. He earned both All-American and All-ACC honors. As a junior in 2025, he recorded 9.5 TFLs and 5 sacks in a disappointing year all around. Despite the drop in production, Parker still garnered All-ACC honorable mention.

Strengths: TJ Parker is a densely built defensive end. He has a strong rush to run through offensive tackles. Parker uses his size advantage in the run game. He does well to contain the edge and prevent the ball carrier from bouncing the football to the outside. He also shows the strength in contain to clog gaps and get tackles at the line of scrimmage. Parker has good movement skills for his size. He is able to cut and has excellent bend to work around his match-up. In the phone booth, Parker displays active and heavy hands to knock back offensive linemen and work into the backfield.

Weaknesses: If Parker’s initial rush doesn’t win, he struggles to generate pressure on counter rushes. Parker does not get low enough in his rush to consistently win the leverage battle. He can get knocked off his rush by allowing tackles to get under his pads. His explosiveness off the line is not noticeable. He seems slow out of his stance and can seem sluggish at times.

Conclusion: TJ Parker is an elite edge rusher with plenty of upside as both a run stuffer and a pass rusher. He lacks the elite movement skills of a high-end pass rusher, but has more size and strength to his game. His run defense makes up for his lack of quick-twitch movements.

Best Team Fits: ATL, MIN, GB

Player Comparison: Josh Sweat

Player Grade: Round 2 (89.4)