Cowboys: Micah Parsons' draft day offers highly valuable lesson
Today, Dallas Cowboys' superstar Micah Parsons is known as one of the best players in football. In the two years since he was drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft, he's taken over the league while drawing comparisons to none other than Lawrence Taylor himself. Today, no one hesitates to name him one of the best […]
Today, Dallas Cowboys' superstar Micah Parsons is known as one of the best players in football.
In the two years since he was drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft, he's taken over the league while drawing comparisons to none other than Lawrence Taylor himself.
Today, no one hesitates to name him one of the best defenders in the league. He's right up there in every debate among the likes of T.J. Watt, Aaron Donald, and Myles Garrett. When thinking back to Parsons' Draft Day you might think to yourself, something along the lines of "Of course! This was always supposed to happen."
And yet, looking back to two years ago, let's not forget fans and media weren't sure about the pick. There's a lesson to be learned there that shouldn't be overlooked while we get ready for this year's draft.
Earlier this week, Parsons quoted a tweet of a clip of the moment he was drafted 12th overall by Dallas. In the tweet, he called it the "best day of my life."
Two years ago, though, many called the Cowboys' pick a mistake. And keep this between us but I'll admit I was among them. Now, it's not that I didn't think Parsons didn't have the skills to become a legit starter in the NFL. In fact, I considered him one of the best players in the class.
However, positional value was my concern. You see, at the time we thought of Parsons as an off-ball linebacker with the skillset to be an occasional pass rusher. Dan Quinn, as we all know now, had other plans, however.
The reason why Parsons unanimously won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021 and why he finished second in defensive player of the year voting last year had everything to do with his productivity getting to the quarterback.
Pretty much everyone who was against picking the prospect out of Penn State had the same reason. Taking an off-ball linebacker didn't make a whole lot of sense as opposed to taking a game-changing offensive tackle, for example.
Fast forward a few years and the Cowboys appear to be in a similar spot regarding RB Bijan Robinson. Many believe that even though he's one of the best prospects in this year's class, he should be passed on because of positional value.
Even tight end is a controversial position within this conversation. Dallas is also expected to be interested in some of the top tight ends.
Advanced stats will often suggest that those two positions (RB and TE) do little to make a team significantly better in a way that helps them win ballgames. And while those concerns are legit and fair, it could all change depending on how the team chooses to use the player it selects.
Just like the Cowboys were willing to change Parsons' expected role before his rookie season, could they find a way to make Bijan Robinson a more impactful player than we originally expect? Perhaps that could happen through an extensive use in the passing game.
Or could they modernize their use of tight ends to make the position a more valuable one on their scheme? More of a receiving option, if you will.
We'll find out soon enough. For now though, Parsons' trajectory suggests that whatever the pick is at No. 26, it's up to the Cowboys to make it worth it.
