After getting trampled like Mufasa in their last three matchups with the Patriots (219 Yards Per Game!!!), the Colts went into the offseason needing to address their run defense. Specifically, they needed to reinforce Nose Tackle and Inside Linebacker. By signing Nate Irving in free agency, the Colts added a good run stopper at the latter position and were able to turn their attention to Nose Tackle in the draft. In the 5th round, Indianapolis traded a 7th round pick to move up 14 spots and select David Parry. They clearly saw something in him, and you can see flashes of that something when he plays. If he can put those flashes together consistently, Parry has a chance to be a good starting Nose Tackle in the NFL. Unfortunately, it is much more likely that Parry is an average rotational lineman.

Of course, this would not be the first time people have doubted this former walk-on. David Parry oozes grit, hard work, toughness, and every other Grigson/Pagano cliché you can imagine. Ryan Grigson’s mission statement for the 2015 draft class seems to have been Character Counts. Much like the rest of the players drafted, David Parry is a smart, hard working, tough as nails guy who loves football. Chuck Pagano is probably writing David Parry fan fiction at this very moment. The Colts may have already begun bottling David Parry’s sweat to label it GRIT and hand it out to teammates. From everything you read and hear about him, David Parry is a Horseshoe Guy in the best sense of the phrase.

While stopping the run is important and the Colts do need to address it, it’s smart to remember that stopping the pass is truly what wins in the NFL. The irony of the Colts drafting Parry to stop the run is that he may be better as a pass rusher at the next level, which many fans have wanted them to bolster, even more so than the run defense. Early in his career, Parry will likely struggle to be a true run stopping Nose Tackle. While he is a stocky, powerful man, Parry is only 6’1”, 308 pounds and may not have much room to add weight. He will need to add some weight and increase his strength to be a consistently good run stopper in the NFL. If he is unable to, he may have trouble sticking on a roster.

The ability to rush the passer is what may separate David Parry from the average Nose Tackle. Parry has good short area quickness and shows flashes of good penetration. Due to his smaller size and agility, Parry is able knife through blocks and penetrate the pocket from the interior. At times, he is able to split double teams when lined up over the nose, causing disruption (which is production IIRC). Editor’s Note: David Parry is #58. Some of these gifs might focus on other Stanford defenders, but Parry is lined up over the Center in every gif.

With his quickness and agility, Parry is versatile enough to move around the line, which the Colts love in their linemen. In his time at Stanford, he primarily lined up at Nose Tackle (0-Tech), but there were many times he moved out to Defensive Tackle (3-Tech) and Defensive End (5-Tech). The Colts will also find that Parry is effective running twists and stunts, which could allow them to get creative with how they use him.

Despite his relatively smaller stature, David Parry was a very good run stopper in college football. Again, due to his size, Parry will almost never lose a battle for leverage. He is simply too short and stocky for a blocker to be able to get under his pads. At times, he uses this to his advantage to almost comical effect. In the clip below, Parry gets double teamed by the Center and Guard and literally doesn’t move his feet. They could not get him to move back one inch.

As a Nose Tackle, it will be important for Parry to be able to clog up gaps versus double teams. With his leverage advantage and stocky frame, Parry can be a bulldozer in the middle at times. If he is able to add some weight and makes plays like this in the NFL, teams will find it much more difficult to run against the Colts.

At other times, Parry is blocked one on one by the Center and he is forced to use the Center’s body to tackle the Running Back. He really packs some power behind his hands and it shows. Teams may need to be careful about how many times they try to block Parry one on one.

As a great man (was it Benjamin Franklin?) once said, every rose has its thorn. For David Parry, that horticulture metaphor is his size. As his current weight, Parry simply may not be able to be a viable run stopping Nose Tackle in the NFL. Parry is a powerful player, but there are times his lack of size shows up and he gets pushed around. More often than not, he was making plays in college, but in the NFL, he will see a lot more of this happening to him.

In the long run, David Parry may develop into a good starting Nose Tackle. He certainly has the power and the demeanor to set him apart from many defensive linemen. Early on, he will probably be best suited as rotational lineman who comes in on passing downs, but it should not surprise anyone if he becomes a starter. As the saying goes, you can’t measure GRIT, but seriously, if you know someone who can, please let Chuck Pagano know; he would really like to know what quantities he should be placing in these bottles.

Handsome Rating®: 7/10

They raise ’em handsome down on The Farm. Except Jacoby. Not sure what happened there.