Parker Brailsford C Alabama |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #72 SUB-POSITION: Center | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/11/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.95 seconds (96%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 22.9 DOB: 10/20/2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #72 | |
| SUB-POSITION: Center | |
| Last Updated: 03/11/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.95 seconds (96%*) | |
| Age: 22.9 DOB: 10/20/2003 | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
| Overall Rating: | 83.4 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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85% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Pass Blocking: |
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86% |
| Run Blocking: |
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67% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
4th
Overall Rank:
#131
Position rank:
#26 (OL)
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| College Games: 42 College Snaps: 2656 | ||
ESPN RATING: 80/100
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247 RATING: 87/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.7 (93%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tanor Bortolini - Wisconsin |
|
85% |
| Cameron Jurgens - Nebraska |
|
72% |
| Charles Turner III - LSU |
|
69% |
Drafted: ROUND: 5 - Pick Number: 146 (CLE)
Draft Profile: Bio
Parker Brailsford prepped at Saguaro High School in Mesa, Arizona, where he helped lead the Sabercats to a 12-1 record and a state championship in 2021. He earned All-State First Team honors and drew attention as a consensus four-star interior line recruit, ranking among the top guard prospects nationally across ESPN, 247Sports, and Rivals.Brailsford signed with Washington and redshirted during the 2022 season. As a redshirt freshman in 2023, he started all 15 games, splitting time between center and right guard, and anchored the offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award. That unit paved the way for a Husky offense that reached the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. He picked up Freshman All-America honors from the AFCA, FWAA, and Pro Football Focus, along with second-team All-Pac-12 recognition.
When Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama, Brailsford followed. He started all 13 games at center in 2024 and earned second-team All-America nods from several outlets. In 2025, he was named a permanent team captain, started 14 of 15 games, and landed on watch lists for the Rimington Trophy, Outland Trophy, and Lombardi Award. Over three seasons as a starter, he logged 42 games and more than 2,600 snaps.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Gets off the ball fast and reaches linebackers at the second level before they can fill their gap.
- Feet never stop moving; watch his Georgia tape and you see a guy who finishes every single rep.
- Pass sets are clean and controlled, with quick hands that consistently beat rushers to the punch.
- Head is always on a swivel after his initial assignment; finds work and stays engaged throughout the play.
- Handles twist pickups and delayed blitzes smoothly, rarely caught guessing at the point of attack.
- Low pad level gives him natural leverage that bigger defenders struggle to get underneath.
- Pulls well and looks comfortable working in space, covering ground you don't expect from a center.
- Shows some dog in him; competes through the whistle and scraps to sustain blocks even when outmatched physically.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Gives up size to almost every nose tackle he faces, and it shows when they get into his chest.
- Short arms mean he works inside defenders' reach, and when he loses hand position he grabs cloth to survive.
- Does not move people in the run game; you rarely see him create a new line of scrimmage.
- Bull rushers who get square on him can walk him into the quarterback's lap over the course of a rep.
- Gets his head down and lunges when he's overaggressive, which puts him off-balance and leads to holding.
- The 17 flags in three seasons tell a story: a smaller center compensating for length he doesn't have.
Scouting Report: Summary
Where Brailsford ends up mattering most is in scheme. A zone-heavy offense that wants its center moving laterally, climbing to linebackers, and making calls at the line is where he belongs. His best reps at Alabama came when the offense let him use his feet. Against Georgia in 2024, he looked like a different player on the move compared to the snaps where he had to sit in and absorb power. That split defines his projection.The size is going to follow him into every draft meeting. He's light and shorter than most NFL centers, and you can see it when bigger nose tackles square him up and walk him off his spot. Where he keeps himself clean is in pass protection, where his hand timing and foot quickness let him survive against rushers who outweigh him significantly. The penalty issue ties directly to the length problem. When longer defenders get outside his hands, his instinct is to grab and hold on rather than lose the rep entirely. That habit is manageable in college, but NFL officials will flag it consistently, and the physical limitation driving it isn't going away.
The right team for Brailsford doesn't need its center to be the toughest guy in the trenches every snap. Pair him with bigger guards who can handle the dirty work inside, and his movement ability and processing become real assets. He can start in this league, but only if a coaching staff builds around what he does well. There's a useful player here. The question is whether the team that takes him understands what they're getting.
Written By:
Wyatt Brooks (SEC)
Parker Brailsford percentiles vs other Centers (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Parker Brailsford (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
141.9
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
36.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.