NFL Mock Draft: Could Micah Parsons fall to bottom of Round 1?

Penn State Football All-American middle linebacker Micah Parsons is widely viewed as one of the premier defensive players in the 2021 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t guarantee that he will be among the first players to hear his name called on draft night.

Parsons, 6-foot-3 and 244 pounds has the ability to be a dynamic sideline-to-sideline linebacker in coverage as well as a disruptive pass-rusher either off the edge or up the middle, making him a plug-and-play starter for most teams across the NFL.

However, if franchises get scared off in their evaluations of Parsons about concerns off the field, there’s a chance that he could slide.

That’s exactly what happens in USA TODAY Network’s Doug Farrar’s latest mock draft projection, for TouchdownWire:

"No. 25: Jacksonville Jaguars – Micah Parsons, LB, Penn StateThere’s absolutely no question about Parsons’ value on the field — based on that alone, I’d address him as a top-10 talent in this class. But serious off-field issues, including a fight involving Parsons and defensive back Isaiah Humphries that Penn State head coach James Franklin allegedly told Humphries not to report to police, will — or at least should — raise the hackles of NFL teams. Humphries sued the school in 2020. There are also allegations of sexual assault related to hazing that must be considered when evaluating the entire Micah Parsons picture.Well the Jaguars need help on a formerly great defense that Tom Coughlin blew apart over the last few years with his “get off my lawn” approach, and to say the least, Urban Meyer has always been… lenient when considering off-field issues."

Penn State conducted an internal investigation into the allegations made in Humphries’ lawsuit, and turned the case over to the Centre County Prosecutors office.

“The DA reviewed the case and decided that no charges would be pursued, Penn State Vice President Rachel Pell said, in a statement released by the university. Both Penn State and head coach James Franklin sought a dismissal of Humphries’ suit.

It is unlikely that Parsons would slide this far, but stranger things have happened during the draft. As Farrar points out, Urban Meyer has been known to look the other way when it comes to off the field concerns during his tenures both at Florida and Ohio State.

If teams are skeptical of Parsons’ character, and he does fall, some team is going to get any elite playmaker to build a dominant defense around.