DeVante Parker (born January 20, 1993) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

wide receiver for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He was drafted by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

in the first round in the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

Early years

Parker is the son of Raneca Parker and former Louisville running back Anthony Shelman. He attended Ballard High School in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, where he was a three-sport star in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, track and basketball. He was a two-time All-State performer. He totaled 73 catches for 1,438 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior. He was named first-team All-State by

The Courier-Journal ''The Courier-Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), is the highest circulation newspaper in Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett and billed as "Part of the ''USA Today'' Ne ...

. He recorded 209 yards and one touchdown against 6-A state champion

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

, 137 and two touchdowns and 184 and two touchdowns in two games against No. 2 St. Xavier, 321 yards and two touchdowns against 6-A finalist

Male Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization. A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...

and 227 yards and three touchdowns in just three quarters against 3-A state champion

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

. He was named co-Paul Hornung Award winner as the state's top player with Boyle County's Lamar Dawson. He hauled in 68 passes for 1,793 yards (26.4 yards a catch) and 19

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...

as a senior, that ranks fourth all-time in state history. He finished his career as one of the state's all-time leading wide receivers with 3,274 yards, which ranks fifth only behind Somerset's John Cole (4,981), Lawrence County's

Gerad Parker Gerad Michael Parker (born January 4, 1981) is an American football coach and former wide receiver. He is the tight ends coach at Notre Dame. He was previously the offensive coordinator at West Virginia University. Parker played college footba ...

(4,736), Male's Montrell Jones (4,345) and Mason County's

Chris Lofton Christopher Franklin Lofton (born March 27, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for Seoul SK Knights of the Korean Basketball League. He played college basketball with the University of Tennessee Volunteers. High school Chris Lof ...

(3,511). In

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

, Parker lettered all four years for the Bruins competing as a sprinter. He earned a third-place finish in the

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

at the 2011 Male All Comers Meet, recording a personal-best time of 11.18 seconds. At the 2011 Class 3A Region 4 Championship, he posted a career-best time of 22.57 seconds in the 200-meter dash, placing 3rd, while also helping his 4x100 relay rank top in the state until defeated by rival Louisville Eastern High School at regionals and 4x200 relay squad placed first.

Recruiting

Parker was rated as the 26th-best wide receiver in the nation by ''

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''. He was ranked as the 77th-best wide receiver nationally by ''

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'' and the fifth-best player in the Rivals.com Kentucky postseason top 10. Parker chose Louisville over scholarship offers from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

and UCF.

College career

2011 season

As a true freshman in 2011, Parker appeared in 11 games. He finished sixth on the team with 18 receptions for 291 yards and led the team in touchdowns with six. He had two receiving touchdowns at USF. He also made a highlight-reel 39-yard touchdown reception in the season-opening win versus

Murray State Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, ...

2012 season

As a sophomore in 2012, Parker played in all 13 games and led the team with 744 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on 40 receptions. His 10 touchdown receptions were the most by a player in a season since 1998. He had a touchdown in six straight games to end the season. He had two games with two receiving touchdowns. He finished the season with two 100-yard-receiving games. He hauled in a 75-yard touchdown reception to start the second half of the

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

game.

2013 season

As a junior in 2013, Parker played in 12 of 13 games and had 55 receptions for 885 yards and a school record-tying 12

. His 12 touchdowns were tied for 10th nationally and led the AAC. He recorded three 100-yard-receiving games. He tied a career-high with nine receptions for 142 yards and one touchdown in the Russell Bowl win over

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. He had a career-best nine catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns in a road win over No. 23

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. He finished with five catches for 71 yards and a score at

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Ha ...

. He had two scoring catches and six catches overall for 74 yards against FIU. He had a season-high 134 yards receiving on five receptions and a pair of touchdowns against

EKU An eku (sometimes spelled eiku or ieku) is an ancient weapon of Okinawan kobudō. Its first intended purpose is as an oar. See also * Taiaha References External links Article, images & video on Eku(Okinawa Prefectural Government websi ...

2014 season

Parker missed the first seven games of his senior season in 2014 with an injury. He played in six games, recording 43 receptions for 855 yards and five touchdowns.

Collegiate statistics

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Parker was drafted by the

in the first round with the 14th overall pick in the

2015 season

As a rookie, Parker appeared in 15 games and started four. In Week 12, against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

, he had his first professional receiving touchdown on a 33-yard reception from quarterback

Ryan Tannehill Ryan Timothy Tannehill III (born July 27, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, where he was a wide receiver until his junior year, an ...

. In the regular season finale, he posted five receptions for 106 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown against the

. He recorded 26 receptions for 494 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.

2016 season

Parker started off his second professional season strong with eight receptions for 106 receiving yards against the

in Week 2. Overall, he finished the season with 56 receptions for 744 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. He made his playoff debut in the Wild Card Round against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. He had four receptions for 55 receiving yards in the 30–12 loss.

2017 season

In the 2017 season, Parker appeared in 13 games and started all of them but one. He totaled 57 receptions for 670 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

2018 season

On April 24, 2018, the Dolphins picked up the fifth-year option on Parker's contract. He had six receptions for a career-high 134 receiving yards in a loss to the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

in Week 8. In 11 games, Parker totaled 24 receptions for 309 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.

2019 season

On March 12, 2019, Parker signed a new two-year contract with the Dolphins through the 2020 season. In Week 4 against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

, Parker caught four passes for 70 yards and one receiving touchdown in the 30–10 loss. In Week 11 against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

, Parker caught seven passes for 135 yards in the 37–20 loss. In Week 13 against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

, Parker caught seven passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the 37–31 win. On December 13, 2019, Parker signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension with the Dolphins. In Week 16 against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

, Parker caught five passes for 111 yards and a touchdown during the 38–35 overtime win. In Week 17 against the

, Parker caught eight passes for 137 yards during the 27–24 win. Overall in the 2019 season, Parker had his most productive season to date, catching 72 passes for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns, which are all career-highs.

2020 season

In Week 4 against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

, Parker recorded ten catches for 110 yards during the 31–23 loss. In Week 8 against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

, Parker caught the first career touchdown pass thrown by rookie quarterback

Tua Tagovailoa Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa ( ; born March 2, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the Offensive MVP of the 2018 College Foo ...

during the 28–17 win. In Week 12 against the

, he had eight receptions for 119 receiving yards in the 20–3 victory. In Week 13 against the

, Parker was ejected from the game after fighting Bengals players. He appeared in 14 games in the 2020 season, He recorded 63 receptions for 793 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.

2021 season

On November 5, 2021, Parker was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He was activated on December 4. In the 2021 season, Parker appeared in ten games and recorded 40 receptions for 515 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

New England Patriots

On April 5, 2022, Parker was traded to the

, along with a 2022 fifth-round pick, in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick. In Week 3, against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

, Parker had five receptions for 156 receiving yards in the 37–26 loss. In the following game, Parker scored his first touchdown as a Patriot in the 27–24 overtime loss to the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

NFL career statistics

References

External links

New England Patriots bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, DeVante 1993 births Living people Players of American football from Louisville, Kentucky African-American players of American football American football wide receivers Ballard High School (Louisville, Kentucky) alumni Louisville Cardinals football players Miami Dolphins players 21st-century African-American sportspeople New England Patriots players