{"id":467225,"date":"2026-02-08T21:59:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T21:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/467225\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T21:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T21:59:09","slug":"duke-lineman-ranked-highly-in-nfl-draft-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/467225\/","title":{"rendered":"Duke Lineman Ranked Highly in NFL Draft Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5l\">The Duke football program didn&#8217;t see any of its former players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, but that will likely change in 2026. A myriad of Duke&#8217;s players from this past season have declared for this year&#8217;s draft, and it&#8217;s much more likely this time around that a Blue Devil hears his name called. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5o\">Duke boasted one of the better offensive lines in the ACC last season, paving the way for former Blue Devil quarterback Darian Mensah <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/college\/duke\/blue-devils-analyst-explains-awful-situation-between-mensah\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">to put together<\/a> one of the best seasons from a Duke signal caller ever, leading the ACC in passing yards and passing touchdowns en route to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/college\/duke\/blue-devils-mensah-shares-hard-truth-why-left\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">leading the team <\/a>to its first ACC Championship since 1989. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/01kgwxpyjh0ekez22gf2.jpg\" alt=\"Mensa\" title=\"Mensa\" width=\"2541\" height=\"1429\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"5y\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Darian Mensah (10) throws in the second quarter against the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"62\">One of those key linemen from the 2025 squad is now seeing his name rise in the latest 2026 NFL Draft Rankings by ESPN. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/01kgwxs6w4rsp8yx4dyy.jpg\" alt=\"Parke\" title=\"Parke\" width=\"1234\" height=\"694\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"6c\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dec 23, 2023; Birmingham, AL, USA; Duke Blue Devils tight end Cole Finney (82) and offensive linemen Brian Parker II (53) react with tight end Nicky Dalmolin (81) after a successful two point conversion during the first half against the Troy Trojans at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p>Duke OL Brian Parker II Ranked Highly Among NFL Draft Centers<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6j\">Redshirt junior offensive tackle Brian Parker II declared for the 2026 NFL Draft following a great career at Duke. In 2025, he was named an ESPN Second Team All-American and an Associated Press Third Team All-American. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6m\">Parker was also a Second Team All-ACC selection in both 2024 and 2025. The 6&#8217;5&#8243; lineman played in 40 games for the Blue Devils. <\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Brian Parker II (6\u20195 306) Duke<\/p>\n<p>+ Has played extensive snaps at left and right tackle while also being projected to play guard or center at the next level<br \/>+ 10 pressures and 0 sacks allowed during the 2024 season<br \/>+ Grip strength to latch and control opposing defenders<br \/>+ Over\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/N5hvccUOGb\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/N5hvccUOGb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bengals &amp; Brews (@BengalsBrews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BengalsBrews\/status\/2019124832357740975?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">February 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6s\">Now, Parker is looking to begin his NFL career and is currently projected as a day two selection. In ESPN&#8217;s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/draft2026\/story\/_\/id\/47027232\/2026-nfl-draft-rankings-jordan-reid-top-prospects-players-positions\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> latest NFL Draft Rankings,<\/a> he was listed as the fourth-ranked center overall, behind Logan Jones of Iowa, Connor Lew of Auburn, and Jake Slaughter of Florida. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6v\">Parker is the lone Blue Devil listed in the top five at any position, according to ESPN, and is likely to be the first Duke player selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. <\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">As expected, Duke\u2019s Brian Parker is snapping and lining up at center at Shrine practice today. <\/p>\n<p>College OT, but played primarily a center in HS so it\u2019s not a new position for him. <\/p>\n<p>6-4 3\/4, 306 lbs, 32 1\/4 arms<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dpbrugler\/status\/2014737014310965515?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">January 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"71\">Former Duke cornerback Chandler Rivers entered the 2025 season as a potential first-rounder, but saw his stock drop quite a bit throughout his senior campaign. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/01kgwxwb4qvx9jzht6yh.jpg\" alt=\"River\" title=\"River\" width=\"1204\" height=\"677\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"7b\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Nov 15, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA;  Duke Blue Devils cornerback Chandler Rivers (0) attempts to swat the ball from Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Trell Harris (11) during the third quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p>Will Chandler Rivers Still Be Drafted?<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7i\">Some mock drafts before the 2025 season had Rivers inked as a potential first-round selection, as he was regarded as one of the top returning secondary pieces in all of college football. However, after a fairly disappointing senior year for the Texas native, he&#8217;s fallen out of those discussions. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7l\">Despite his stock falling over the 2025 season, Rivers is still likely to hear his name called in the middle to later rounds of the draft. He ended his career with the Blue Devils compiling 223 total tackles, 29 pass deflections, and seven interceptions. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7o\">Stay tuned to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/college\/duke\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Duke Blue Devils On SI<\/a> for more Duke football news.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7r\">As always, make sure you stay up to date with all Duke content by following us on Facebook, by clicking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61582106336802\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">HERE<\/a>, and following us on X (formerly Twitter) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DukeOnSI\" rel=\"nofollow\">HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Duke football program didn&#8217;t see any of its former players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, but&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467226,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[64,63,593,85],"class_list":["post-467225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/467226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}