SEC should give Parker lift into NFL

MOBILE, Ala. - Nearly half of the South team's roster at the Senior Bowl is made up of players from the SEC, which significantly helps Tennessee offensive guard Anthony Parker.

Parker earned a reputation as being a durable offensive lineman by starting 39 of his 44 career games, including 38 in a row.

Parker's stout build (6-foot-3, 300 pounds) allows him to stay low to the ground and become a hard target to move for opposing defensive linemen, and he was part of a team that led the nation in fewest sacks allowed with four during his junior season in 2007.

Former Tennessee running back Reggie Cobb, who is a college scout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, believes the level of competition Parker and his two teammates on the South team - running back Arian Foster and defensive lineman Robert Ayers - will be to their benefit.

"Look at the guys Anthony sees every week," said Cobb, who was drafted by the Bucs in the second round of the 1990 NFL draft. "I'm a firm believer that the SEC's the toughest conference in America and when you play against those guys week in and week out there's no big shock like it could be for a guy from a smaller school or a smaller conference. I just firmly believe that. Whether it's true or not, that's what I believe and that's what I go by. If you play well in the SEC and you can be productive you can play in this league."

Parker was put to the test right away in the South team's first practice Monday across the bay at Fairhope High School and was still a little winded moments after the final whistle was blown by Jacksonville Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio. He paid close attention to the instructions being barked out by Del Rio and his coaching staff but he did feel like he was well-prepared having gone through four years at Tennessee.

Having Foster and Ayers out on the field with him has helped Parker, although in practice he has lined up opposite Ayers. The three are pushing each other to go harder and represent their alma mater in a positive light, and Parker has had to make an adjustment to taking his place in the huddle with rival players from Florida, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Auburn, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Arkansas. There are 21 players in all from the SEC on the South team, and Parker is hoping to do enough to stand out to the slew of coaches, GMs and scouts watching.

"I just hope to show them that I can play at a high level of intensity with a good group of guys and do a good job while I'm out there," Parker said. "Hopefully they'll see that."

Not only is Parker getting a chance to show what he can do on the same field as the best in the SEC, but with six players from USC on the South team and three more from Oklahoma on the North team, he is going to try to separate truly from the best of the best. Cobb doesn't foresee that being a problem for Parker, Foster or Ayers.

"The speed of the game doesn't faze guys from Tennessee because they see it every week," Cobb said. "You play Florida, and Georgia and LSU and those teams, there's going to speed, so I think that cuts down on the adjustment time for a lot of guys. I'm disappointed there are not more players from Tennessee and we need to get it back."

How Parker performs the rest of the week and in Saturday' game, along with Foster and Ayers, will go a long way towards making that happen.