Washington Huskies 2012 Evaluations: S Sean Parker

November 02, 2012; Berkeley, CA, USA; Washington Huskies safety Sean Parker (1) and defensive end Connor Cree (91) tackle California Golden Bears running back Brendan Bigelow (5) and force the fumble during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Statistics: 78 total tackles, 2 interceptions, 0 sacks.

What He Did In 2012: Parker was quietly effective for the first half of the year, and then I felt like he suddenly had a breakout game that gained him a lot of acclaim and put the focus a little bit more on him against Oregon State. In that game he laid the memorable hit on Markus Wheaton that knocked the ball into Justin Glenn’s hands and knocked Wheaton out of the game. He also deflected a couple passes and nabbed an interception of his own. Overall one of the most dependable players on the defense as a junior, and someone that tackled with real authority.

What I Expect Of Him In 2013: I expect much of the same. Some new guys will step into bigger roles in the secondary around him, and the linebacking corps will have grown with an offseason of work, but I think he will remain a pretty steady constant. 75-85 tackles, a few picks, and very good pass coverage and run support. And though he’s considered a little undersized by NFL scouts, I think he will almost certainly get drafted, I would guess somewhere around the 3rd-5th round. Of course, it’s also possible that Parker takes a big step forward in his final year and elevates himself to that next tier of player, but I don’t see him as a guy with a ton of untapped potential that will suddenly be unearthed in his senior season. He’s still growing like any other college player, but he’s fairly polished and I think that’s enough for the Huskies.