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Arizona Football: Broncos Draft Will Parks

By Eric Townsend

Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces the number one overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces the number one overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Arizona football player Philly Will fulfills his dream of being drafted after an impressive Arizona career, and pro day.

For every college football player, the dream is to undoubtedly go pro. For former Wildcat Will Parks, he was lucky enough to be one of those 253 former college football players of being drafted this weekend.

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His selection to the Denver Broncos in the 6th round with the 219 overall pick, gives him a great opportunity to continue to showcase his talent and playmaking ability. A once lightly recruited kid out of Philadelphia, Parks joins his former teammate Scooby Wright III, in being drafted today.

Parks was the first Wildcat to be selected in the 2016 NFL Draft and is one of head coach Rich Rodriguez’s five NFL Draft picks since taking over at Arizona.

A four-year letter winner while at Arizona, his career was highlighted by his big playmaking ability and superb athleticism.

Jul 31, 2015; Burbank, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats safety Will Parks at Pac-12 Media Day at Warner Bros. Studios. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 31, 2015; Burbank, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats safety Will Parks at Pac-12 Media Day at Warner Bros. Studios. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Prior to the combine, Parks wasn’t considered to be a player that would be drafted, and with no NFL Combine invite, he used that as motivation to improve and prove any doubters wrong.

At the Arizona Pro-Day last month, Parks posted a solid day, with a 4.52 4o-time, a 32-inch vertical jump, and 22-reps (the NFL testing weight is 225 pounds) in the bench press. The performance definitely turned heads of numerous scouts, and that ultimately led to his dramatic rise in the projected NFL Mock Drafts.

His meteoric-like rise helped him to be drafted, and you know he’s certainly grateful for the opportunity to continue to do what he loves.

Parks, just like Wright didn’t receive much college attention out of high school, and was actually a former Pitt University commit, but flipped his commitment to Arizona, when Rodriguez was hired here.

His arrival to Denver gives him a great opportunity to showcase his talent on a defense that carried the Broncos to their Super Bowl Championship. During the testing process, Parks met with John Elway and the Broncos organization prior to the draft, and both parties seemed to have a mutual interest in each other.

Being selected by the Broncos is only fitting for Parks, as it seems to be one of the places where he initially wanted to go.

Like Scooby, both players had to wait a while before hearing their names called, but the wait is over, and the hard work has paid off. The low draft positions will only drive these two ultra-competitive guys to again prove their doubters wrong, and take advantage of this opportunity.

Related Story: NFL Draft: Where There's a There's a Way

Given his work ethic, we know Parks will be successful, so long as he continues to Bear Down! At ZZ, we will definitely miss seeing Philly Will playing in Tucson, but would like to congratulate him on his remarkable achievement and wish him the best of luck!

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