What Alabama Center Parker Brailsford Offers an NFL Team

Alabama center Parker Brailsford hopes to hear his name called this weekend as the NFL Draft is underway in Pittsburgh. The Crimson Tide center spent the last two seasons anchoring the middle of Alabama's offensive line and now looks to take his talents to the next level and play professional football.

Brailsford is projected as a fourth round pick, but his agility and athleticism make him a strong prospect for a team looking for a center in an outside-zone scheme.

Five Things to Know About Alabama Center Parker Brailsford

Team Captain & Award Winner

Brailsford was voted Alabama team captain ahead of the 2025 season after transferring into the program with Kalen DeBoer. He anchored a Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line at Washington before transferring to Tuscaloosa, where he started 27 games for the Crimson Tide. Brailsford was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week after strong games against LSU and Vanderbilt this past season.

He was selected for multiple preseason All-Conference and All-American teams and named to the Outland and Rimington Trophy Watch lists as one of the better interior offensive linemen in college football.

Path to the Draft

Brailsford was a 3-star offensive lineman out of Arizona and committed to Washington in May of 2021. He stuck with his commitment to the Huskies despite firing Jimmy Lake and wound up playing for Kalen DeBoer for two seasons, redshirtting in the first and then earning first team Freshman All-America accolades from the AFCA, FWAA, and Pro Football Focus in 2023.

He followed DeBoer from Washington to Alabama and spent the 2024 and 25 seasons snapping the football to Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson. Brailsford held down the center position reliably, despite his undersized frame.

"Parker, I tell you what, I really pretty much could have guessed he would have been a captain," Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said. "Just the way he's been as a leader, and it starts with his leading by example. It's really cool seeing a guy like Parker in particular step up vocally. See his growth. I've had a chance to see it now going on these four years. It means a lot to me just knowing our journey together that he's continued to keep fighting, keep believing. The guys just really respect him. When he says something, it comes from here. He lives it every single day. It's easy for him to speak up because it's not something that's hypocritical. They all listen. Proud of him for sure."

Undersized Ironman

Brailsford checked into the NFL Combine at 6-foot-2, 289-pounds, making him undersized for a typical NFL center. He has 42 starts over the last three seasons with the only game he missed coming against Eastern Illinois as he prepared to grind out the stretch run of the season. The Crimson Tide center may be smaller than the average center, but Brailsford has NFL quality toughness that is hard to measure.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Brailsford has elite explosion as he boasts the best 10-yard split among offensive linemen at the NFL Combine. He has strong hands and stays engaged on his targets well in space while playing through his hips to control powerful players. He's an asset in the screen game and can be utilized as a puller to get to the second level.

His size has been noted already, but it shows up in the run game as he struggles to move defenders and in recovery when he loses his balance. Brailsford has played some guard in college, but his NFL future lies solely at center, making him a niche lineman.

Professional Comparrison

Brailsford's professional ceiling offers NFL franchises a long term starter at center, as height and weight-wise, he matches up with Las Vegas Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum. Linderbaum is a three-time Pro Bowler, making the comparison steep, but simply put, don't count Brailsford out over his size.

The Alabama center's NFL future is largely dependent on going to the rigth offensive scheme as he'll succeed in a wide zone scheme that gets Brailsford into space and utilizes his ability to get to the next level.

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