2023 NFL Draft: Why the Jaguars Drafted Derek Parish
Trevor Lawrence is about to turn around and hand the ball off more often in 2023, Doug Pederson joked as the draft closed with the Jaguars taking a fullback.
And while Pederson said it with his typical deadpan humor, one couldn't help but wonder if the addition of Houston fullback Derek Parish at No. 270 overall meant a potential change in philosophy for the Jaguars.
"We're just changing, pounding ground. Here we go," Pederson laughed.
Coupled with the addition of second-round tight end Brenton Strange, third-round running back Tank Bigsby and first- and seventh-round offensive linemen Anton Harrison and Cooper Hodges, it is fair to say the Jaguars made the power running game a priority during the draft. For Parish, this priority is exactly how he can make his mark.
"No, listen, the fullback position has been nonexistent pretty much in our league. It's kind of gone way. I grew up with a fullback in this league back in my days with Green Bay," Pederson said.
"That position, we talk about versatility. It's a position that can line up in the backfield, it can line up as a tight end. It could be a third tight end. They play special teams. It's a position that you can do multiple things with. And it's something that having a guy on the roster that can play those positions just opens up your offense just a little bit more."
Along with special teams value, it appears the athletic Parish -- a college defensive end -- will at least be a part of the Jaguars' experiment to improve their short-yardage offense.
"And, yeah, I would agree, we weren't very good in short-yardage situations last year. And it's just another way, another tool, another piece to the puzzle that we'll experiment with this offseason and particularly in training camp," Pederson said.
Parish, 6-foot-0, 241 pounds, ran a 4.58 40-yard dash and recorded a 37-inch vertical jump at Houston's pro day.
Parish was an EDGE player at Houston, appearing in 51 games and starting 27 in six seasons while recording 170 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in the process.
Parish played only eight offensive snaps at Houston but spent time at the East-West Shrine Bowl as a full back.
The Jaguars said Parish would start off as a full back and spend his time in the running back room, similar to when the San Francisco 40ers drafted UCF defensive lineman Bruce Miller in the seventh round in 2011 and converted him to fullback.
"It's hard to -- that was a long time ago when we scouted Bruce Miller. But we were one of the only teams at that time that went down and did a private workout with Bruce. I think there's some similarities," Baalke said.
"They're similar in size. Derek is even a little faster. But again that's a work in progress. We've got to get him in here and see how he adjusts to that position. And the key thing for him, like it is for a lot of these guys, is what are they going to do on special teams? How are they going to help us? And create that attitude in the locker room which we had a year ago where they really bought into it. And teams is one-third of the game, and we really believe in that as an organizational philosophy. So I think that's about as close to the comparison as I can get for you."