Parris Campbell Fantasy
Parris Campbell is a redshirt senior who played both his high school and college football in the state of Ohio. He played both receiver and running back in high school, where he rushed for 1,584 and 22 touchdowns as a senior. Campbell was a four-star recruit going into college and was considered a top-25 player at both wide receiver and running back. Campbell really exploded onto the scene his senior year at Ohio State. He gobbled up a whopping 90 receptions and took them for 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns. All very impressive numbers considering he didn’t even have 900 total scrimmage yards in his previous three seasons. He is someone who really helped his draft stock his final year of college, and with his versatility in both the run and pass game, he should be a valuable option for teams when draft day arrives.
Measurements
- 6’0″
- 205 lbs.
- Age: 21. Will be 22 when the season kicks off.
NFL Combine Recap
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.31
- Bench Press (225 lbs.): 11 reps
- Vertical Jump: 40.0
- Broad Jump: 135 in.
- 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.03
Fun Fact
Experts knew Parris Campbell was fast. His 40 yard dash time speaks for itself. But who knew he was THIS fast? He was a state track champion in high school. His straight-line speed became highly recognized when he showed up at Ohio State and he used that speed to become an extremely versatile weapon for the Buckeyes offense. Dwayne Haskins was able to hit Campbell on short quick passes and he could rely on him to pick up big yards after the catch.
Campbell really put his speed and agility on full display at the combine this year. His 40-yard dash and 20 yard shuttle times both tied for best in this year’s wide receiver class. If anyone saw their draft stock rise because of the combine, it was Campbell.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Campbell gave us a true sense of his strengths his final year at Ohio State. His run after catch ability is where he made his name. He’s very creative when he’s in the open field and he can go from 0-60 very quickly. He’s arguably the fastest prospect in this class overall. He’s very loose and agile. His ability to make guys miss and easily cut back against the grain is something no other wide receiver in this class can do as well as he can. Campbell is extremely quick at changing directions. He has lightning quick feet and can be very slippery. Even his ability to set up blockers after catching a quick screen is superb. It shows how high his football IQ is. His vertical receiving is good, mainly because of his speed. He’s not going to stack defenders well and won’t beat a guy at the line of scrimmage, but if teams are going to play off-coverage on him, be prepared to get blown by. A few things that are concerning when looking at Campbell’s game is his route running ability. This isn’t an area that he necessarily lacks at, but he was mainly tasked with running streaks down the field or catching quick slants or screens. When he was tasked with more complex routes, he looked uncomfortable when the ball got to him. At times, he would have a hard time catching the nose of the ball and it wouldn’t be clean. He doesn’t have the softest hands and will double catch the ball especially in tight windows or when the ball is contested. He isn’t a very physical receiver so when the ball is contested, he can be knocked off his spot fairly easily. The fact that Campbell isn’t the most physical wide receiver makes him an average blocker as well. The effort is there when he was tasked with blocking, but he was easily pushed around.
Best Fit: Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are going to look like an entirely different team once the 2019 season gets underway. They are starting with a new quarterback to begin the season with Lamar Jackson, as Joe Flacco was traded to the Broncos. Flacco started every season under center for the Ravens since 2008. They have a new running back starting behind Lamar Jackson as the Ravens will turn to Mark Ingram to carry the load. With receiver Michael Crabtree being released and John Brown signing with the Buffalo Bills, the Ravens are in need badly of a wide receiver. In steps Parris Campbell in what would be a near perfect fit. Jackson doesn’t have the strongest arm amongst other current NFL quarterbacks, but he does possess the ability to turn on the burners when he needs to. This will make Campbell and Jackson a great pair. Baltimore is going to look like a gadget offense, and what better way to exploit defenses that way than adding another tool to the belt with Campbell. Jackson will be able to hit Campbell on quick screens or slants and let him burn the defense with his YAC ability and then take a big shot downfield. It’s a perfect match.
Dynasty Factor
Campbell is a mystery when it comes to dynasty rookie drafts. He may have helped his draft stock the most out of any of the rookies. He was being drafted in Gridiron Experts rookie mock drafts around the early part of the fourth round. Now, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go right around the early to middle part of the second round. That’s a major jump. If he lands on a team like the Ravens or another team that will utilize his skills appropriately, we may be looking at the steal of the draft.
I have a lovely wife and three children. I have played Fantasy Football since 2006. I began writing Fantasy Football content for FFDynasty260 in 2017 and covered the weekly waiver wire column as well as other topics. I started covering the Minnesota Vikings for Last Word On Sports in 2018. I am currently the Fantasy Football Expert for The Scoop on KLGR in Minnesota. I merged with FFD260 to Gridiron Experts in 2019 covering Dynasty Fantasy Football and more. I am a co-host on The Dynasty Draft Room podcast which launched in 2019. I stopped writing Vikings content for LWOS and switched to The Vikings Age in 2019.
