How former Penn State football players Micah Parsons and Odafe Oweh fit in with their NFL teams
Two Nittany Lions went off the board in the first night of the 2021 NFL Draft. Linebacker Micah Parsons went No. 12 to the Dallas Cowboys and EDGE Odafe Oweh went 19 picks later at No. 31 to the Baltimore Ravens.
Let’s take a look at how Parsons and Oweh will fit with their new teams and what they bring to the table.
LB Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
Parsons going to the Cowboys is fitting considering who he’s likely to replace. Former Nittany Lion all-time great Sean Lee retired from the NFL after 11 seasons with the Cowboys, and Parsons will likely slide into his starting spot.
The newest Cowboy is a freak athlete who can bring value to the table in a variety of ways. Parsons started his football career as a projected EDGE but moved to linebacker when he got to Penn State. He is a physical freak who can play sideline-to-sideline as a linebacker. His athleticism translates to rushing the passer as well. He has the speed, the burst and the bend around the edge to be a nightmare against opposing tackles in the NFL. He’ll be effective as a blitzer in the NFL.
His off-ball linebacker ability is off the charts, as well, in the run game — in part because of his athleticism and in part because of his instincts. Parsons ran a 4.39 at the Penn State pro day but, more importantly, has a nose for the ball. He occasionally over-pursues and his instincts can burn him when he misreads a play, but his athleticism often allows him to recover and find himself back in the play. That may be harder to do in the NFL — where the athleticism will be closer to his, even if it’s not at his level — but reigning in the occasions when he does over-pursue or misread will be the first step in his development.
Parsons has the ability to play in space as a coverage linebacker as well, with his athleticism once again benefiting him. He can hang with NFL running backs and tight ends in man, but does need to stay more steady in his zone coverage. His ability to stay on the field was one of the reasons he was so appealing to Dan Shonka, national scout and general manager at Ourlads.
“He’s got the athletic ability; he’s got sideline-to-sideline range,” Shonka told the Centre Daily Times in January. “He can cover backs coming out of the backfield; you can put him in the slot; he can run with the tight end. And now, the base defense in the NFL is basically a 4-2-5. So, he’d fit really good, and he’d never have to come off the field.”
Parsons should instantly step into a role in Dallas and could play at a high level very quickly.
EDGE Odafe Oweh, Baltimore Ravens
Oweh lands with a high-level team in Baltimore that will allow him to stand up and attack opposing offensive tackles as a 3-4 outside linebacker. At his core, the former Penn State defensive end is an EDGE who is at his best when he’s pinning his ears back and chasing opposing quarterbacks.
The Ravens need someone to step into a starting role after Matthew Judon left in free agency for New England and Oweh should be considered an option to fill in for him. He didn’t register any sacks as a senior, but was still disruptive as a pass rusher. He was dominant in the season opener against Indiana, even without registering a sack, dominating the Hoosier offensive tackles. Oweh was often just about to hit quarterback Michael Penix, but Penix was able to get rid of the ball just before he got there, and often just after he took the snap to avoid getting hit by Oweh and teammate Shaka Toney.
Oweh can use his athleticism and hand length to beat offensive tackles in the NFL, but he’ll need to get stronger and develop counter moves for when his opponents take away his first option.
“I think he’s gotta get better in terms of his polish, especially as a pass rusher,” draft analyst Steve Muench told the CDT in January. “There are times where he puts it together, and it looks awesome. I think he’s got a really high ceiling, especially as a pass rusher — he looks like a bull in a china shop at times, with just how powerful he can be. But he’s got to prove his ability to counter.”
Oweh will also need to add strength to hold up long-term, but not as much as it may appear. He looks thin because of how long he is, but still weighs in at 6-foot-5, 257 pounds. He could reasonably get to 275 pounds without losing any of his athleticism and that would unlock another set of power moves as a pass rusher and give him the strength to move down to defensive end in a 4-3 later in his career.
The former Nittany Lion may be a situational player to start in Baltimore if the Ravens decide to go with a more veteran option like Pernell McPhee, but it shouldn’t take long for Oweh to force his way onto the field in passing situations.
This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
