NFL research data puts Micah Parsons in rare company
DALLAS — It is not difficult to see how special of a player that Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is. He is elite at rushing the passer and has proven to be one of the best at his position in the entire league. It can be easy to forget that he has only played one season. Parsons […]
DALLAS — It is not difficult to see how special of a player that Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is. He is elite at rushing the passer and has proven to be one of the best at his position in the entire league.
It can be easy to forget that he has only played one season.
Parsons put together one of the most dominant rookie campaigns from a defender that the league has seen. He ran away with Defensive Rookie of the Year and was a true contender to win Defensive Player of the Year honors during his first season.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and the Cowboys unleashed Parsons all over the defense last season. The 2021 first-round pick was used as an edge rusher and in a traditional linebacker role. Regardless of where he lined up, Parsons flourished.
NFL data puts Parsons in rare company
Micah Parsons truly set himself apart as a pass rusher. The Penn State product emerged as one of the best in football at getting after the quarterback. His blend of size and speed was too much for many offensive linemen to handle last season.
Parsons totaled 13 sacks and recorded 20 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. To put it simply, he was an absolute nightmare for offenses each and every week.
The impact that Parsons has goes beyond the stat sheet, however. The All-Pro defender is in rare company when it comes to most productive blitzing linebackers from last season. PFF research analyst Connor McQuiston has the data:
The data does include reps from Parsons as edge, which can skew his numbers in relation to other linebackers; however, it is clear that the Cowboys' star is special when it comes to creating pressure on the quarterback.
Micah Parsons is all alone in the far right side of the chart, signaling that he is far and away from several of his peers in the league. It is crazy to believe that he only has one season under his belt and did not play his final season at Penn State due to opting out.
Parsons still has a lot of room to grow, but it is evident that his talent is absurd. He can play all over the defense and will likely continue showcasing his versatility under Quinn with the Cowboys.
The expectations are sky-high for Micah Parsons entering year-two — and rightfully so.
Featured image via Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
