Micah Parsons is the straw that stirs the drink for the Dallas Cowboys on defense. 

As their swiss army knife or all-purpose defender, whatever you want to call it, Parsons sets the tone, and his teammates follow without hesitation. 

Parsons has come into the NFL like a tornado and racked up 26.5 sacks, 157 pressures, 100 hurries, and six forced fumbles in his first two seasons. With that type of production, opposing teams certainly have Parsons at the top of their list for players to try and neutralize when they play the Cowboys. 

If anyone thinks Parsons is bothered by more attention they're sadly mistaken. 

“That’s cool. Come. We want them to come," Parsons said. "If you go to a safari, you see buses, they all pull up on lions. And they don’t flinch. Why? Because they are king. They’re not going to flinch. Please come visit. You’re more than welcome. I’m OK with feeling uncomfortable. That’s how you evolve.”

Parsons should feel that. Not just because he's an ultra-talent player, but he has defensive coordinator Dan Quinn pulling the strings and he's figured out a plethora of ways to utilize Parsons, and it's led to consecutive All-Pro selections to start his career. 

The Cowboys have won 12 games each of the last two seasons, and their defense has been the catalyst with Parsons as the driver of the bus. However, they haven't made it past the second round, but Parsons feels that will change. 

“You just feel it in the room," said Parsons. "Everybody is like, ‘This gotta be the year.’ Each year I’ve been here, we’ve gone a little bit further. Now, I’m hoping we ain’t gotta make no small jump to the NFC (title game) and then go home. I’m hoping we go all the way. 

It's unknown how the Cowboys will do in 2023, but history says Parsons will be a force to be reckoned with.

Cowboys’ star keeps finding unique ways to elevate his game

He’s always grinding to be great.

Feature image via Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports