Micah Parsons addresses defensive switch following Cowboys win

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons was drafted by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2021 draft to be one of the best linebackers in the NFL. A few games in, he’s been as advertised.

He’s looked incredible at linebacker, but just two games in the Cowboys decided to switch the Penn State product to defensive end due to injuries. The rookie revealed he hadn’t played the position since high school.

Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn made the decision to switch Parsons for the game, because Demarcus Lawrence recently broke his foot and Randy Gregory landed on the Covid-19 list.

It turns out the switch was quite effective for the Cowboys. The former Penn State product lined up across from Michael Schofield and dominated the matchup. He recorded eight pressures, according to PFF. That’s the most pressures by a rookie since Nick Bosa in 2019, according to PFF.

“A lot of it was natural. Some people had a long day out there,” Parsons said after the game.

Some of his Cowboy teammates had high praise for the rookie after the game. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott couldn’t say enough good things about the promising rookie.

“Micah [Parsons] is a great player…He’s a special guy, and he’s going to make plays. As I said back in the spring, we’re lucky to have him,” Prescott said.

In the first half against the Chargers, Parsons lined up at edge on every one of his 19 defensive snaps so far through the first half. He had two pressures on 13 pass rushes, a 15.4% pressure rate, according to Next Gen Stats. Parsons was also Dallas’ highest-graded pass rusher against the Chargers, according to PFF.

Parsons and the Cowboys were recently featured on the HBO series “Hard Knocks” during fall camp.

Micah Parsons athletic profile

Before the start of the 2020 season at Penn State, Parsons decided to skip his senior season and begin training for the 2021 NFL Draft. As a sophomore, the uber-talented linebacker was named a consensus All-American prospect by the NCAA.

He also became the first sophomore linebacker in Big Ten history to win the Butkus-Fitzgerald linebacker of the year award. The Pennsylvania native was named a finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the top linebacker in college football. His sophomore season, he racked up 109 total tackles, while racking up 14 tackles for loss, five sacks, and five pass breakups. He also had four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and four quarterback hurries.

The incredibly high levels of production like the numbers drew so much attention from NFL scouts. Not only that, he blew away NFL scouts with his world-class speed for a player his size at his pro day. Tipping the scales at 6-foot-3, 246-pounds, Parsons ran a blazing 4.39-40 yard dash. Keep in mind, the record for a 40-yard dash by a linebacker at the NFL combine is 4.38 by Shaquiem Griffin in 2018. Griffin is three inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter than Parsons.

The Cowboys are hoping his freakish level of athleticism and production continue for several years in the National Football League.