Meet the Newest New England Patriot: Andrew Parker Jr.

On Monday, the New England Patriots made a linebacker swap on their practice squad. The team released veteran Joe Giles-Harris and signed rookie Andrew Parker Jr. to fill his spot. While Giles-Harris was a six-year veteran, with the last two spent in New England, Parker has yet to make his NFL debut.

Get to know the newest member of the Patriots.

Meet Andrew Parker Jr.

Parker graduated from Sophie B. Wright Charter School in New Orleans, La. The three-star recruit committed to Arkansas over other interested schools such as Texas and Ole Miss.

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Parker took a redshirt year in 2018, not appearing in any games. He remained with the Razorbacks for three more seasons but never found a regular role on the defense. Parker received significant defensive snaps for the final games of the 2020 season. However, in 2021, he was back to playing sporadically on defense. Parker was a consistent core special teams player at Arkansas despite his lack of playing time on defense. He entered the transfer portal following the 2021 season.

Anthony Parker Jr. joined the Appalachian State Mountaineers for the 2022 season. He played in 12 games that season, finishing with 68 tackles. But in 2023, Parker truly had his breakout season. In his final year of college football, Parker was named a team captain and started all 14 games. He finished the season with 114 tackles and earned first-team All-Sun Belt Conference.

NFL Draft

The 6-foot-0, 235-pound inside linebacker showed excellent athleticism at Appalachian State’s Pro Day. He recorded a 10’4″ broad jump and 38.5″ vertical jump. Had he participated in the NFL Scouting Combine, those numbers would have ranked third and second respectively among the linebackers.

After going undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft, Parked signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a UDFA.

Parker appeared in two preseason games with the Jaguars, recording five tackles and two stops. He earned a defensive grade of 62.9 from Pro Football Focus, was a solid tackler, and good in coverage. However, Jacksonville released Parker on Aug. 25.

Andrew Parker Jr. now joins the New England Patriots practice squad. The inside linebacker depth on the 53-man roster includes Jahlani Tavai, Christian Elliss, Sione Taktaki, and Titus Leo. He joins Keshawn Banks as linebackers on the Patriots practice squad. If Parker hopes to stick in New England, he will need to contribute on special teams as well, something he proven capable of.