1. Micah Parsons, Penn State
Size: 6-3, 246
The Good: An elite recruit for Penn State, he turned into an instant star and disruptive force with 191 tackles with 6.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in his first two seasons. Always active, he got better in pass coverage as a sophomore and was even more dangerous in the backfield.
He’s everything you want a hybrid outside linebacker to look like and be. He’s got the quick twitch, he ran a 4.39 40, and he’s strong enough against the run to hold up in a variety of ways.
Go ahead and use his skills however you want. He doesn’t have to be a pass rushing threat on a team that can get the job done from the line, but he can. Ask him to be a sideline-to-sideline guy, put him on the strongside to run with a tight end, put him on the weakside and let him run in space – he can do it all.
"That's wide receiver fast!"
Here's a quick look at @MicahhParsons11's very impressive @PennStateFball Pro Day performance. 👀 pic.twitter.com/bbXkrDh9mb
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 25, 2021
The Not-So-Good: The only real ding is that he’s much better when he’s roaming free. He can be a tough guy against the run, but he’s much better when he’s using his otherworldly wheels to chase someone down.
To get totally nitpicky, he could use a weeeee bit more dog in his fight. He can fly, but he’s not necessarily going blast through people.
If this matters in your world, he opted out last season just as he was growing more and more as a player. It’s going to be 20 months since he played.
NFL Draft College Perspective Thought: When it comes to the modern day outside linebacker, he’s the prototype. For some reason he doesn’t seem to be loved as much as a slew of quarterback prospects with several question marks, but he’s one of the five best players in this thing. Take him, throw him on the outside, let him screw up offenses for the next several years.
Projected Round: First
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