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Former Penn State linebacker Micha Parsons has just turned in one of the best rookie seasons the NFL has seen, at least on the defensive side of the football, in a long time. And the accolades are beginning to pour in for the Dallas Cowboys rookie as a result. Fresh off being named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association, Parsons has also topped a ranking of the NFL’s top rookies compiled by ESPN.
Parsons was the only defensive player in ESPN’s top 5, and one of four defensive players in the top 10. Parsons gained national recognition as one of the NFL’s top rookies this season after dominating in his starting role in the middle of the Cowboys defense. The performance of Parsons in his rookie season even had him in the conversation for overall defensive player of the year, although TJ Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers appears to be trending toward collecting that honor.
Here is what ESPN had to say about Parsons at the top of its list;
Parsons is enormously disruptive with consistent efficiency in the pass rush. He was one of six players in the league with at least 13 sacks — 10.5 of which came after Week 8 — and was just 1.5 sacks from Jevon Kearse’s rookie record. Plus, Parsons was reliable in coverage and a point-of-attack defender in the run game, with the range to chase down ball carriers even when the play was designed to run away from him. Few, if any, defensive players in the NFL showed consistent excellence across such an expansive job description, let alone a rookie.
Surprisingly, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was ranked fifth on this same list by ESPN. Chase set the rookie record for most receiving yards in a season, and he did so in 16 games without the need of the extra game on the regular-season schedule.
Another former Penn State defensive star, Odafe Oweh of the Baltimore Ravens, landed in the “Keep an eye on” category. Former Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth also fell into this category after his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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