NFL Draft: Memphis OL Dylan Parham learned to be versatile playing tight end in high school

Dion Parham watched the NFL Combine at home in Georgia. His son Dylan was on the field in Indianapolis as NFL Network analysts discussed at his potential playing center.

The elder Parham posted a brief video to Twitter from the workout. He didn’t say anything in the clip, but his words on the post showed his pride seeing a vision come true.

“Coach (Ryan) Silverfield knows what he’s talking about!!!," Parham tweeted. "True story, before going into his redshirt freshman spring season. Coach said Mr. Parham, Dylan will be a first-round pick if he listens!!!”

Parham might not be a first-round pick, but he's projected to be a third-round pick in this week’s NFL Draft. He’s ranked among the top center prospects, with several analysts adding could contend for a starting job next season.

If taken, he'll be the third Memphis offensive linemen drafted since 1994. Not bad for someone who didn’t play offensive line until spring 2018 as a redshirt freshman nor took an in-game snap at center.

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But Parham learned early how to adjust, adapt and thrive before he became a four-year starter at three different positions – left guard, right tackle and right guard.

“He had three coaches in four years at high school. It seemed like it would be too much for him to overcome and get to Division I football,” Dion Parham said. “But I think that set him up for success when he got to Memphis.”

High school position change

When Sean Calhoun was hired at Carrollton High School in Georgia after Dylan Parham's junior season, Calhoun asked him to move from linebacker to tight end, a position he'd never played before.

Parham was hesitant, and when his family met with Calhoun, his mother Camelle wasn't sure about it either. But Calhoun convinced them he had a brighter future in college on offense.

“Dylan’s an imposing-looking kid. He’s long, tall, athletic, thick from his calves to his traps and back,” Calhoun said. “He had such natural strength in his hands, wrists and forearms, which can be really good for blocking.”

The transition wasn’t easy. At one point, Calhoun suspended Parham for two weeks in the spring just to see how much football meant to him. When he returned, Parham had a different focus and commitment.

The footwork he showed at linebacker and playing fullback as a freshman made him athletic enough to run routes or move quickly to block opposing players. Parham was also smart enough to pick up multiple roles quickly.

Whether it was combination blocks with his offensive tackles or blocking on screen plays, Calhoun said he didn’t look like a player who just learned the position in the spring.

“It was a lot more on him mentally than I think he’d ever done before,” Calhoun said. “So when you combine all that, that’s when I was like, yeah we got something special, and that’s when his recruiting took off.”

Position change at Memphis

It also helped when he got to Memphis in 2017. He struggled at tight end. and when he moved to defensive line the coaching staff didn’t see a future for him.

Silverfield, then the Tigers’ offensive line coach, asked if he could take Parham and mold him. Now head coach, Silverfield saw what Calhoun did – a strong, smart, athletic player with flexible ankles and hips who could be effective once he added more weight.

“Those are the type of kids you want on the offensive line, and he fit that perfectly,” Silverfield said. “Being able to watch and see some of his movement skills, there’s some things that don’t necessarily correlate from tight end to D-line.”

Once again, Parham was a fast learner. He started two seasons at left guard, moved to right tackle as a junior and then became an All-AAC first-team selection at right guard last season. He also weighed 311 pounds at the combine, a huge jump from arriving to Memphis at 256 pounds.

Dion Parham believes changing positions in high school helped Parham adapt to doing it at Memphis. It’s also helped him learning to play center when he took snaps during Hawaii Bowl practice and at the Senior Bowl.

“He says now that playing tight end really helped him for the position he’s in now. It made him more comfortable when he went to right tackle,” Dion Parham said. “I knew it would all come together for his IQ."

Dylan Parham said at the Tigers’ spring game he plans to watch the draft at home with family and friends. Calhoun said he’ll have a wide grin when Parham’s name is called thinking about the small role he played with him.

Changing positions could have been difficult, but Parham’s willingness to move and his success set a foundation he’ll look to repeat in the NFL learning a new position.

“(It) actually has benefited him long term. He has the ability to say I’m not just a one-position player, I can learn many things. I think that’ll really help him in the NFL where he can play either guard position or center,” Silverfield said.

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You can reach Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_B) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Dylan Parham learned to be versatile playing high school TE: NFL Draft