By Marvin Moore September 14, 2023
Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than smart!
It’s no secret that the Dallas Cowboys planned to draft a cornerback with the 10th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. But when Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain were taken with the eighth and ninth selections, the Cowboys traded their pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for the 12th and 84th picks.
When it was America’s Team time to pick, Penn State linebacker Micah Parson was still on the board. The rest is history.
The football gods often laugh at the best-laid plans. Parsons is a generational talent. A shocking 11 players were drafted ahead of the game-breaking pass rusher. But only “The Lion” has been selected as a First-team All-Pro. He’s earned the honor twice. He also won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Parsons has blossomed into a fearsome pass rusher who has racked up 26.5 sacks in 33 games. The electrifying defender has become such a dominating force that he is garnering comparison to arguably the best defensive player in league history.
“I never like comparing players to the name I’m about to say,” ESPN NFL analyst Mike Greenberg said recently. “But when you watch [Micah Parsons] play, especially the way he closes, he reminds me of Lawrence Taylor, and then you watch it, and you’re like, ‘This is Lawrence Taylor reincarnated.”
Taylor changed the way defense was played. He impacted games like no defensive player had ever done. The Hall of Fame linebacker was the cornerstone of two Super Bowl champion teams. He achieved what Parsons is aiming to achieve.
“I just know if I win this Super Bowl, I don’t have to worry about anything the rest of my life,” Parsons said this past summer. “It would mean everything to me.”
Like Taylor, Parsons often takes over games by terrorizing opposing signal-callers. He has recorded sacks in 18 games, including double-digit quarterback takedowns in nine outings. That’s Taylor-esque!
Parsons’ hunger to win a Super Bowl and Defensive Player of the Year bodes well for a Dallas franchise that hasn’t reached an NFC Championship Game since 1996. His new role as a stand-up interior pass rusher is one of the biggest reasons the Cowboys sacked Daniel Jones seven times in the season opener.
The Defensive Player of the Year favorite created opportunities for his teammates to pressure Jones by taking on double teams. He also isolated slow-footed guards and spent significant time in the Giants’ backfield.
Last year, Parson tied with 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa with a league-high 90 quarterback pressures. He posted these impressive numbers despite lining up at defensive end 19.5% fewer plays than Bosa.
The cornerstone of a Cowboys’ defense loaded with playmakers, Parsons is in line for a massive contract extension at the end of this season. Bosa inked a five-year, $170 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid defender in league history. But it’s a record that is likely to fall next offseason.
According to Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Parsons has become one of the league’s elite defensive standouts on pure athletic ability. With two seasons of NFL experience, the former head coach expects Parsons to make a considerable jump this year.
“As a young guy coming in, he was super gifted and had great explosiveness, but now his hand use is so much better, his knowledge of what to see is getting better,” Quinn said. “That’s the thing that has jumped out to me – adding the skill work at the line of scrimmage, especially with his hands, to be really used as weapons. He has really made a big jump in that area, and I think as the season progresses, people will certainly see that.”
It’s terrible news for offensive linemen and quarterbacks that the 24-year-old has yet to reach his full potential. Parsons has already established himself as a premier pass rusher. If he is not already the most feared defender in the game today, he will be soon. And that’s good news for Cowboys fans.
