Penn State Football’s Micah Parsons is widely viewed as the premier linebacker in the 2021 NFL Draft class, but by no means is he a perfect prospect.
Parsons, 6-foot-3 and 244 pounds, opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns and to turn his attention to preparing for the NFL Draft, but left an indelible mark on the Nittany Lions‘ program.
A former five-star recruit out of Harrisburg High School, Parsons arrived in Happy Valley and immediately converted to inside linebacker, where he produced 191 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, forced six fumbles and broke up five passes in two seasons, en route to becoming a first-team All-American in 2019.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has high praise for Parsons, listing him as his No. 10 overall prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft class:
"Parsons has a big, athletic frame and possesses excellent speed and versatility. He is quick to key/read before attacking the line of scrimmage. He can defeat blocks with his hands or use his quickness to slip past them. He has the speed to make plays sideline to sideline, although there were a few occasions where he overran the football in the games I studied. He also had some issues sniffing out the ball on zone reads. He’s very gifted in coverage versus tight ends and running backs. He has timing and burst as a blitzer off the edge. Overall, there aren’t many holes in Parsons’ game. It’s difficult to find linebackers with his size and ability to impact the passing game."
Jeremiah’s critique of Parsons that he at times over-pursues is an interesting one, as is the concern that he gets lost against zone reads.
According to Pro Football Focus, Parsons received a 94.8 run-defense grade in 2019 and charges him with just 11 missed tackles in 188 career tackle attempts.
Recently, an NFL executive tell VictoryBellRings he believes Parsons has more upside than Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro Devin White, though he still has work to do to be considered an elite linebacker at the next level.
“Ray Lewis, Patrick Willis, they’re the best inside linebackers in the last 25 years,” the executive says. “And what made them so good was their hand use. Once they got their hands on a lineman and stunned them, they’re so quick and fast, they could get off the blocks and make the tackle.
“The one thing Micah has to do, is he has to use his hands inside vs. traffic to become the kind of player he has the potential to be. If he figures that out, he’s going to be a perennial All-Pro for as many years as he wants to be.”