The Most Overrated Player From the Bills' Offseason Workout Program

Among the many reports on various players’ performance at the Buffalo Bills’ mandatory minicamp, the most overrated was Ed Oliver’s assessment of rookie edge rusher T.J. Parker.

“I seen him on film the other day chasing a running back, and I said, ‘Who the—I mean, who the heck is that matching the running back step by step?’” said Oliver. “I was like, ‘Oh, he’s a cheat code.’”

Now, that’s not to say Oliver is not allowed to be impressed by the second-round pick, nor does it mean I don’t believe Parker can be an impactful player at the NFL level. I’m deeming Oliver’s remarks as overrated in an effort to emphasize the grain of salt with which we should take comments like that at this stage of the offseason, particularly when it comes to defensive lineman.

During teams’ offseason workout programs, which include OTAs and minicamp, they are not permitted to wear full pads, nor is full contact allowed during practice. Therefore, it’s difficult to get a true feel of how well young players in the trenches will perform when the bullets start flying for real.

For that reason, I’m tempering my expectations for the No. 35 overall pick, who I previously predicted will range from four to five sacks in his first professional campaign.

Parker has a lot on his plate for the Bills

Buffalo Bills linebacker T.J. Parker (99) trains during Buffalo Bills Minicamp. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Clemson product has plenty in front of him entering Year 1, as he will be tasked with helping what the Bills is an improved defensive front that is capable of a better effort against the run and on the pass rush this season.

The Bills finished 2025 tied for the third-highest EPA [expected points added] per rush allowed [+0.05], while their sack rate was in the bottom half of the league [6.8%, tied 19th]. Buffalo used its first selection of the 2026 NFL Draft on Parker to help boost both departments, but it’s fair to question the level of which he is capable of doing so in his introduction to professional football.

Parker has impressive traits, but production lacked in 2025

Parker was scored as one of the more athletic players at his position in this year’s draft class, recording an impressive relative athleticism score [RAS] of 9.33. However, despite recording 41 pressures, he finished with just five sacks in his final season at the collegiate level, taking a significant step back from where he was in 2024.

While I believe Parker will be a difference maker for the Bills, I’m not sold he will be the game-changer Oliver is making him out to be, or quite frankly, I believe they needed entering the draft. He is more of a power edge defender rather than the game-wrecking-style rusher that was otherwise available when the Bills made the pick to take Parker.

That leaves me with cause for pause after listening to Oliver speak so glowingly about Parker’s elite speed at minicamp.

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