User:Educatedblkman1914/sandbox/Brandon Parker

Brandon Malik Parker (born October 21, 1995) is an American football offensive lineman for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Parker played Left Tackle for North Carolina A&T Aggies before being selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Early life
Parker attended A.L. Brown High School, in Kannapolis, North Carolina where he started two of the three years he played varsity football. During his senior year, Parker led the Wonders to an 8-4 record. During Parker's high school career, the wonders averaged 287 yards rushing per game and completed 62.4 percent of its passes.

College career
Parker's tall and lanky frame was a point of concern and limited the number of schools interested in recruiting him for football. In an interview with Brian McLaughlin of Herosports.com, Parker said "I really wasn't highly sought after coming out of high school, because of my frame, and I didn't have really good film my junior year; My senior year, I didn't really get any kind of accolades. You had to come to my school to know anything about me. I was a much slimmer guy, if you can believe that...With schools like Alabama and Clemson, they're looking for the guy who is ready to go right now. " Parker received full scholarship offers from Division II Winston-Salem state, FCS North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central; a partial scholarship from his father's alma mater North Carolina; & preferred walk-on spots from then FCS Appalachian State, Charlotte, & FBS Duke. He would then sign with North Carolina A&T as one of their 22 signees recruited under Head Coach Rod Broadway.

2014 Season
Parker was redshirted during the 2013 football season. In 2014, He was projected to be second on the Aggies depth chart at the left tackle position behind William Robinson. When Robinson went down with an injury, Parker was placed as starter. Parker started in all 12 games played that season, having standout performances against Florida A&M and Morgan State. Parker would conclude the season earning third-team All-MEAC honors. His contributions to the team resulted in Quarterback Kwashaun Quick having his best passing season of his career, as Parker prevented Quich from being sacked.

2015 Season
Parker, who started for all 12 games of the season had impressive showings against Florida A&M and at the Celebration Bowl against Alcorn State. Parker averaged 4 pancake blocks per game while successfully never surrendering a sack from his position at left tackle. Parker's style of play led to only 2 penalties called against him in 2015, which contributed to the Aggies being 2nd in the MEAC in offense. Parker finished his season with a number of accolades, including All-American honors from both American Urban Radio Networks and Boxtorow. Parker was also named the MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year; becoming the second player in the program's history to win the award behind Qasim Mitchell who won in 2001.

2016 Season
Parker started all 12 games of the 2016 football season, earning MEAC offensive lineman of the week a total of five times. Parker was involved in 779 gradable plays during the 2016 football season including: 48 total knockdowns with an average 87% grade. Parker also graded out higher than 90% on 5 occasions, contributing to A&T being rated 1st in total offense and rushing offense; and 3rd in passing offense in the MEAC. At the conclusion of the season, Parker was named to the All-MEAC first team and awarded the conference's Offensive lineman of the year award for the second consecutive season. In addition to his conference honors, he was named an FCS second team All-American by the Associated Press.

2017 Season
Parker entered his final season with A&T as the starting left tackle for all 12 games of the 2017 season. Parker's stingy defense resulted in 0 sacks by his opponents, resulting in him never allowing a single sack in his entire collegiate career. Parker was awarded the MEAC Offensive Lineman of the Year award, becoming the first player to win the award in 3 consecutive seasons. His performance also earned him 1st team FCS All-America honors and an invite to the Senior Bowl.

Professional career
Prior to North Carolina A&T's Pro Day, Parker has held work outs with a number of teams going into the 2018 NFL Draft including the San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints; with scheduled upcoming visits with the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers. Parker, who is projected to be a fifth to sixth round pic in the upcoming draft, has been compared to Jylan Ware in respects to his size and abilities. Parker was 1 of 20 players from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to be invited to the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. At the combine, Parker posted the 3rd best performance among the offensive linemen in the broad jump at 9.4 ft. He also recorded a time of 5.40 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

Parker was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round, 65th overall, of the 2018 NFL Draft. In order for the Raiders to select Parker, the team traded up with the Baltimore Ravens, giving up the 75th, 152nd & 212th picks.

Personal life
Parker, born in Kanapolis, North Carolina, is the son of George Curtis Parker III and his wife Regina. Both of his parents have athletic backgrounds. Parker's father was an All-ACC offensive lineman for the University of North Carolina and his mother a prep basketball star at Carver High School and later playing for North Carolina. Parker's older sister, Jasmine, also attended his NC A&T and was a member of the women's basketball program. Parker currently is engaged to Dominique Green, whom he met while attending NC A&T. On November 18, 2017, Parker proposed to Green on the field before kickoff in Parker's final home game against arch rival North Carolina Central.