Dallas Cowboys take Penn State LB Micah Parsons in NFL Draft
The first Nittany Lion has come off the board in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons was taken by the Dallas Cowboys at No. 12 overall.
Parsons is the first former Penn State defensive player to go in the first round since Jared Odrick went No. 28 overall to the Miami Dolphins in the 2010 NFL Draft.
The former Nittany Lion opted out of the 2020 season due to precautionary reasons surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I decided I needed to make a choice, not for myself — but my son and those dearest to me,” he told PennLive about his decision to opt out. “While I felt safe with the health and safety standards as we return to Penn State for workouts, the potential risk to the health and well-being of my son far outweighed my urge to play football this season.”
Even without the 2020 season on his resume, Parsons had plenty of film for teams to watch. He was dominant in his lone year as a full-time starter in college in 2019 and displayed elite athleticism at Penn State’s pro day, running a 4.39 in the 40 yard dash.
He only played in 26 games but still managed to finish tied for seventh all-time at the school in forced fumbles with six. He was nothing short of dominant in his sophomore season — the last time he took the field — and finished the year with numerous accolades to his name.
He was named a Consensus All-American by the NCAA and won the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year Award in the Big Ten, making him the first sophomore in conference history to do so. He closed out his Penn State career with an elite performance against the Memphis Tigers in the 2019 Cotton Bowl. Parsons tied a career high in that game with 14 tackles, and added three tackles for loss, two pass breakups and two sacks against the Tigers.
Those accomplishments came after he was named a freshman All-American by ESPN, The Athletic and 247Sports.
The former Nittany Lion should have an immediate impact with the Cowboys after former Nittany Lion Sean Lee retired last week.
“He’s a Day 1 starter,” NFL draft analyst Steve Muench told the Centre Daily Times in January. “He’s someone you’re gonna bring in and you’re gonna play right away. So, he’s gonna have a significant impact. When you look at his range — he’s a great tackler, his ability to cover, to make an impact as a pass rusher — I think that he makes an immediate impact wherever he ends up, and I think that’s why he’s the top linebacker on our board.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 9:52 PM.
