Tag: Micah Parsons

NFL Awards: 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year odds, picks and prediction

Analyzing the odds to be named the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, with picks, predictions and best bets.

The NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year is more varied than the offensive counterpart. While only nine times has the Offensive Rookie of the Year been anything other a quarterback or running back, many positions get the defensive award. Who could be the player this year? Below, we look at the odds to be named the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, with NFL picks, predictions and best bets.

Three of the last seven winners have been edge defenders who specialize in rushing the passer. Last year, it was Washington Football Team DE Chase Young, and the year before it was San Francisco 49ers DE Nick Bosa. 

However, linebackers, defensive tackles and cornerbacks have won it. Only one safety ever has.

Who are the best bets for the award this year? Read on.

2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year picks

Odds via Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 7:30 a.m. ET.

Pick 1: Miami Dolphins OLB Jaelan Phillips (+750)

The edge rushers in this rookie class are not as good in years past. There is no Chase Young or Nick Bosa, both of whom got some consideration for the top pick in the draft. However, Phillips is the most talented pass rusher among the rookies and has two very good cornerbacks behind him to give him extra time to pick up sacks.

Pick 2: Dallas Cowboys LB Micah Parsons (+500)

Parsons can fill a stat sheet and will get playing time from the beginning. He already is showing in the preseason he will be in on most plays. He also plays for a prominent Cowboys team that a lot of people see on television. That does matter.

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Pick 3: Arizona Cardinals LB Zaven Collins (+1200)

The Tulsa product is a freak. He is built like traditional middle linebackers from 20 years ago and moves like the smaller backers of today. He gets the Cardinals’ starting job from Week 1 and has players like J.J. Watt, Chandler Jones and Markus Golden playing in front of him at the line of scrimmage. He can tackle, rush the passer and make plays in coverage. He will be able to fill the stat sheet.

Pick 4: Carolina Panthers CB Jaycee Horn (+1500)

There are three very talented corners in this year’s rookie class, but Horn is my favorite. He plays well in coverage and gets his hands on the ball. A cornerback has to be a ballhawk, which he can be, and he also will mix it up and get dirty in the run game.

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Pick 5: Indianapolis Colts DE Kwity Paye (+1000)

Paye is a bit more raw as a pass rusher, but he has freakish athleticism and will play for a talented Colts defense. He also plays in the AFC South, where the Jaguars have a rookie quarterback and the Texans have a mess of a roster.

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Cowboys News: Prescott playing in preseason? La’el Collins hurt in practice, Amari to suit up

Wednesday’s Dallas Cowboys news includes excitement for the LB room, returning stars, and the recap of the second episode of Hard Knocks.

The Cowboys are back in Dallas. After spending the first half of training camp in Oxnard, they’ve returned to The Star to get things ramped up as the season approaches. With wide receiver Amari Cooper and quarterback Dak Prescott returning to full speed at practice, will either see the field against Houston? What to make of La’el Collins leaving Wednesday’s practice early with a possible injury?

Questions surround the kicker position with a CFL veteran in town to compete for the role while Greg Zuerlein is out. The defense is warming up to new coordinator Dan Quinn, and the offensive coordinator has set the highest of bars for his unit.

Fresh faces in the linebacker room have been an attention-grabber for the Cowboys. Keanu Neal’s transition has worked well and Leighton Vander Esch detailed what it means to have all the new guys around, including rookie Micah Parsons. And after the first roster cut, things are heating up in camp, which you can see up close in the new episode of Hard Knocks, recapped by our KD Drummond.

Here are the most recent news and notes.

Vander Esch on Cowboys’ new LB rotation: ‘It’s going to be sweet on the field’

Micah Parsons and Keanu Neal bring new size and skills to a Cowboys LB unit that Leighton Vander Esch thinks will be a problem for offenses. | From @ToddBrock24f7

It was just three years ago that Leighton Vander Esch was the rambunctious rookie, eager to take the league by storm as a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys. A first-round draft pick, he lived up to the billing by earning a Pro Bowl nod in his debut pro season, stepping into a starting role after veteran Sean Lee went down with an injury.

Now at just 25 years old, Vander Esch is suddenly playing the role of the battle-worn mentor to Micah Parsons, the club’s new first-round linebacker phenom.

“It’s been fun having him in our room,” Vander Esch said of Parsons in an interview on the team website. “Just helping him along, knowing that Sean and Jaylon [Smith] helped me when I was a rookie, and being that guy there for him: if he has anything that he needs, knowing that I’m going to be there to help him.”

Vander Esch served as a sounding board early during Parsons’s preseason debut. When coaches pulled the Penn State product from the Hall of Fame Game after just a handful of plays, Parsons complained that he wanted more snaps.

A bemused Vander Esch preached patience to the rookie that night in Canton. He was still laughing when asked about it this week.

“I remember my rookie year; I didn’t get a lot of preseason action. Being that young guy, you’re confident that you want to go, want to go, want to go. All the credit to him,” Vander Esch snickered, “but he’s got to realize the coaches have a plan for him and to trust what they have in store for him and not get too far ahead of himself. You love the attitude, you love the go-getter; he’s not going to lose that.”

Parsons has been getting a lion’s share of work so far in training camp. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn seems ready to turn the youngster loose and stretch the traditional textbook definitions of what a linebacker’s job should be.

“I really think he’s got more on his plate than what I did. It was a plug-and-play for me when I was a rookie. We pretty much ran the same exact thing that I ran at Boise; that’s why they drafted me,” Vander Esch recalled. “I think with Micah’s skill set and how athletic he is and his speed, you can play him pretty much anywhere on the field. I think the coaches are utilizing that very, very well. I’m glad he’s on our team and not somebody else’s.”

Injuries have slowed down Vander Esch over the past two seasons. Smith’s production has dropped drastically since his breakout year. With the retirement of 11-year-veteran Lee, the linebacker position in Dallas went from a team strength to a glaring weakness.

Quinn and the Cowboys addressed that need by drafting Parsons twelfth overall. But they also brought in Keanu Neal, a former Falcons safety trapped in the body of a linebacker. Reunited in Dallas with Quinn, Neal is making an official position switch more in keeping with his size and talents.

“The kid’s crazy athletic,” Vander Esch said of Neal. “He obviously has that DB skill set, and he’s built like a fricking linebacker. The dude’s crazy-looking. You can see his arms, you can see the way he’s built that he can be a linebacker. And the things that he’s shown on the field, he can definitely do it.”

Parsons playing multiple linebacker roles. Neal bringing a ballhawk’s mentality to go with his massive size. Both figure to play predominantly in a Dallas linebacking corps- along with Vander Esch, Smith, talented rookie Jabril Cox, and others- that could have the heads of fans and opposing offenses on a swivel as they try to keep track of who’s playing where.

“We’ve got a crazy rotation going,” Vander Esch admitted. “But that’s what’s going to be sweet on the field, because we can play all the positions. It doesn’t matter who it is: we all have the potential to play any position it is that DQ wants us to play at linebacker whether it’s on the edge, off-the-ball, whatever, stack, doesn’t matter.”

The hope is that all that multitasking raises the level of play for a defense that was historically poor across the board last season. For Vander Esch, he has the added pressure of this being a contract year, after the Cowboys declined to re-sign him in the offseason. Vander Esch, though, shrugs off that notion.

“It’s always been ‘prove-it.’ You’ve got to go out there and prove yourself every day in the National Football League.”

For now, he’s proving he can still be the on-the-field force in his fourth season that he was in his first. But he’s also taking a more all-encompassing view, striving to provide crucial off-the-field leadership, too.

“My goals are just to be the best teammate I can be, to be able to communicate on a high level, lead this defense, be someone that the guys can lean on, come to with questions if they need, help the young guys get along the way that I was helped when I was a young guy.”

Said the 25-year-old.

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Prescott, Lamb, Parsons, Hooker shine in Cowboys’ Monday night practice

The team practiced at home for the first time this camp, and a packed house saw several stars- both on offense and defense- shine bright. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Monday marked the Dallas Cowboys’ first training camp practice in Dallas after a three-week stay in California, two preseason away games, and a joint practice session in Oxnard.

And Cowboys Nation turned out in droves for an in-person look at their team.

Quarterback Dak Prescott is hoping to see some action this Saturday night when the Cowboys play host to the in-state rival Houston Texans. But fresh off a follow-up MRI that confirmed his right shoulder is healing from a muscle strain according to schedule, the club is understandably taking it slow with their $160 million man.

Wide receiver Amari Cooper also made his way back to the practice field after using the Oxnard leg of camp of continue rehabbing from offseason ankle surgery. Fans and teammates alike were happy to have the 27-year-old back in the mix.

With Prescott merely easing his way back into throwing, backup Garrett Gilbert got in a good bit of work, including a long scoring pass to tight end Jeremy Sprinkle…

…and then another to tight end Blake Jarwin.

Gilbert also led the offense in a two-minute drill that ended successfully with CeeDee Lamb making yet another gorgeous grab.

But Monday night was also a chance for several defensive stars to show out, including the newest Cowboy. Safety Malik Hooker made quite the first impression with a tip-drill takeaway of a Ben DiNucci throw.

And rookie linebacker Micah Parsons continues to turn heads with his versatility and blazing speed.

While Parsons looks to already be the leader of the Cowboys linebacking corps, former safety Keanu Neal may be pressing veterans Leighton Vander Each and Jaylon Smith earlier and harder than some anticipated.

Yes, football is back in Frisco. Fans wanting to get a glimpse of the team for themselves have three more chances to attend open practice: this Friday (August 20th) at 10:15 a.m., next Friday (August 27th) at 11:15 a.m., and next Saturday (August 28th) at 10:15 a.m. All practice sessions are on local Dallas time, and all feature free admission.

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A rookie from each team to watch in NFL preseason Week 1

The NFL kicks off its first week of preseason with 16 games over four days. Here is a rookie to watch per all 32 teams.

The first week of the NFL preseason kicks off, which means it is the first action for the 2021 NFL rookie class.

The physical side of the game is one thing, but the mental side of the game is another. Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and former Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn believes rookies today have a higher football IQ than in years past, but the welcoming hit of pro football always gets the rookies.

“I would be bet people are further along,” Quinn said. “But I think the volume of plays that go into the NFL and the amount of teaching on the smallest things, it’s pretty remarkable and I think most people have the ‘oh, my’ moment that this is a lot. Some hit it during this time and we got to continue to push them through it.”

Here are 32 rookies to watch for the first week of the NFL preseason.

Cowboys News: Prescott and Amari back to work, ‘Hard Knocks’ highlights

Dallas welcomed two of its offensive stars back on Tuesday, plus a surprising admission from Roger Staubach about new HoFer Drew Pearson. | From @ToddBrock 24f7

Two of the Cowboys’ A-list superstars are back, just as the team goes primetime on HBO. Those were the lead stories as fans geared up for the season premiere of Hard Knocks Tuesday night. While the reality show’s debut lived up to the hype (and offered several intriguing moments), the club gave its fanbase even more to get excited about in the hours before, with a double whammy of good news: quarterback Dak Prescott is throwing once again in practice… and he’s throwing to Amari Cooper, who was taken off the PUP list.

Elsewhere, Cooper’s wide receiver mates Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb are both eyeing big seasons of their own, new linebacker Michael Gallup looks to employ a strategic gambit to getting up to game speed in his rookie campaign, and kicker Greg Zuerlein is supposedly still on track to resume normal kicking duties… but maybe not until Week 1. Roger Staubach makes a somewhat startling admission about his now-Hall of Fame companion Drew Pearson, there’s depth to discuss along both the offensive and defensive lines, one outlet estimates the cost of acquiring a second-year standout, and a rule change from the COVID season makes a welcome return for 2021. Here’s the News and Notes.

Micah Parsons’ chess brain: Aims to be ‘Queen of Linebackers’ of Cowboys defense

The first-round LB models his play after the most dangerous piece in chess and is patiently prepping for a mistake-free match in Tampa. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The notion of a do-it-all player is largely a cliche and usually a myth. But rookie linebacker Micah Parsons was the first-round pick of the Cowboys thanks to his extreme versatility. Stuffing the run, chasing down the passer, blitzing off the edge, dropping back into coverage, north-and-south speed, sideline-to-sideline range. He’s still a month away from his NFL regular season debut, but Parsons is already proving that doing his job means doing a whole bunch of jobs.

And the idea that opposing offenses will never know what’s coming from Parsons makes him a dangerous weapon in waiting.

“You got to be able to do more than one way to win,” Parsons told reporters Monday. “You can’t just run the ball all game to win. You got to learn to pass. So, being a versatile player makes it a challenge for anybody to stop it, for anybody to scheme up. You want to be kind of like a queen on the [chess] board. You don’t ever want to be a rook, where you can only go straight, or you can only go sideways. You want to be able to go diagonal, and I think that’s what makes the queen so strong. And I just kind of want to be the queen of linebackers… but a king, in a way.”

Veteran wideout Amari Cooper has long been a chess aficionado and perhaps the team’s unofficial grandmaster since coming over from the Raiders in 2018. It didn’t take long this spring for the 22-year-old to find a seat across from Cooper at the board.

The rookie went back and made the necessary adjustments in short order, taking Cooper down two days later.

Parsons may not necessarily want “The Queen of Linebackers” to become a nickname that sticks, but there are lot of similarities between Parsons’s preferred style of gridiron play and his favorite chess piece.

“I like to go after the quarterback. I like to make big plays. But at the same time, I like to be in coverage because you could get a big payoff: a pick or you could strip the wide receiver. You can always find a way to disrupt the game, no matter which one it is. So I kind of like doing it all.”

Parsons enjoyed an auspicious preseason debut last week in Canton. On his very first series at the pro level, the rookie recovered a Steelers fumble. It was a thrilling return to full-speed action for Parsons, who hadn’t played in an actual football game since the 2019 Cotton Bowl.

That initial rush of success made it even more difficult for Parsons to have to leave the field with the other starters on limited snap counts.

“Yeah, it was hard, but they always remind me it’s a long way to go,” Parsons explained. “I was like, ‘I just got my feet wet.’ I said, ‘Can I get, like, one more?’ They’re like, ‘Nah, it’s over.'”

The former Nittany Lion is showing an insatiable hunger to be around the ball, even in practice sessions. A preview clip from the debut episode of Hard Knocks: The Dallas Cowboys shows that… and the impression it’s already making on teammates like Dak Prescott.

Cowboys fans are no doubt eager to get the season-long chess match underway, to turn Parsons loose and have the results count. But the rookie knows patience is a strategic gambit, too, and he says he wouldn’t trade the extra time to prep for Tampa. He knows the month between now and the season opener will only help him study his opponent and refine his attack.

Just like a lion in the jungle. Or a queen on the chessboard.

“You could go out there right now, make some mistakes, and learn. But why, when you’ve got this great opportunity to get better every day, and you’ve got this great opportunity to go out there in these preseason games and make those mistakes now? Because you got the Super Bowl champs Week 1. That’s the game where I’d like to make no mistakes.”

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WATCH: HBO shares preview clip of Hard Knocks with Micah Parsons

Get a quick preview of HBO’s Hard Knocks with a featured clip starring Micah Parsons

In the month of August, those Rookies who have received the opportunity to be a part of an NFL roster have to show what they are made of to be one of the 53 players on the main roster for the upcoming season. Among those league’s rookies this summer is none other than former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons. The world is about to get a behind-the-scenes look at how Parsons is handling his first taste of being in the NFL.

Parsons was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2021 draft, and he has already created some highlights in his first preseason experience last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But now, fans will get to see some new angles of Parsons’ first days in the league with HBO’s Hard Knocks.

The season debut of Hard Knocks is set for Tuesday night, and Parsons will be one of the main storylines. NFL Films served up a preview of the episode focusing on Parsons.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

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WATCH: Micah Parsons recovers fumble on his first preseason series

Former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons wasted no time making a big defensive play in his NFL preseason debut

Talk about wasting no time in making plays. Former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons came up with a fumble recovery on his first professional defensive series in the NFL in his preseason debut for the Dallas Cowboys.

Parsons was in the absolute perfect spot to recover a loose ball fumbled away by the Pittsburgh Steelers in Thursday night’s Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Parsons locked in on the loose ball and pounced on it for an easy fumble recovery.

We can imagine plenty more big defensive plays to come from Parsons, who is quickly fitting in and taking charge with his new team in Dallas. At the same time, we can also imagine a few Penn State fans out there were probably not exactly happy to see this play against their Pittsburgh Steelers. But hey, it’s just the hall of fame game.

 

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Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion.

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Watch: Cowboys Micah Parsons gets takeaway on 1st professional series

Cowboys rookie Micah Parsons took no time making his mark, getting a takeaway on a fumble recovery just over three minutes into his career. | From @CDBurnett7

Dallas Cowboys rookie linebacker Micah Parsons took a bit over three minutes in the NFL to make his first big play. Throughout training camp, Parsons was complimented for being in the right place at the right time, and that was the case when Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph fumbled the football in the opening drive of the Hall of Fame gae.

Dallas gave up a pair of first downs before Parsons bailed out the defense with the big recovery. With both Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander-Esch playing, the rookie was the first to make a play in 2021.

This was a successful first defensive drive under defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, getting a takeaway which was rare for the Cowboys in 2020. A sign for sore Dallas fan eyes.

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