Stony Brook’s Timon Parris looking to make impression at NFL Combine
INDIANAPOLIS — Timon Parris grew up on Long Island and attended Floral Park High School, but he was not a Giants fan or a Jets fan. He was, in fact, an Eagles fan.
So this already has been an exciting last few months of NFL action for him.
“This was a big year,” he said. “It was basically my last year as an Eagles fan. I was excited that I ended my reign as an Eagles fan on a high note.”
It may be about to become even more thrilling.
Parris, who played at Stony Brook University, is at the NFL Combine this week hoping to make enough of an impression on teams to be drafted at the end of April (and thus likely end his Eagles fandom, unless he hits on that 1-in-32 chance to play for them). Because of a fractured ankle he suffered in the fall, he is unable to participate in any of the drills on the field, but he did take a crack at the bench press — 27 reps’ worth. He’s mostly here to interview with the teams and get a feel for what the NFL is all about. Many of the players here had that opportunity at events like the Senior Bowl or the Shrine Game or other all-star type situations. Parris, though, could not attend those because of his injury so this is his first real taste of pro football.
“Now I get to see some of the competition, some of the people I’m going to be playing with or playing against,” he said on Thursday. “I’m just enjoying the atmosphere and the grind, the early mornings and late nights, meeting with teams, getting a feel for everything the NFL has to offer.”
He’s also had MRIs and tests done on his ankle by the teams.
“I’m coming along nicely,” he said of the rehab. “It’s feeling good. I’m not doing anything at the Combine on the field but I’m healing nicely.”
He hopes to be able to participate in drills at Stony Brook’s Pro Day on March 29.
He’s not the first Stony Brook player to come to the Combine. That honor was held by linebacker Victor Ochi two years ago. Parris said he spoke with Ochi for about an hour to get a better idea on what to expect here.
“Me and him, we went up against each other a lot,” Parris said. “He was telling me to enjoy the experience and to tell the teams how hard I work, how I came from being a walk-on to a scholarship to an All-American and now I’m at the Combine. My whole journey from then to now and how I can still elevate my game to get to an even higher level.”
High enough, many believe, to be the first Stony Brook player drafted in the NFL.
“That’s the ultimate goal,” he said, noting that it will be another two months until he can realize it. “I’m just going to take it day by day and enjoy the whole process.”
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
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