3 biggest takeaways through the Cowboys season

2. Micah Parsons is a generational talent for the Cowboys

The day was April 29, 2021, and the Cowboys held the tenth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Everyone believed that America’s Team would land one of the top cornerbacks in the draft, Jaycee Horn or Patrick Surtain. After all, this was a major need for this defense.

However, both players would get taken in back-to-back picks before Dallas made their pick. Horn, out of South Carolina, went eighth to the Carolina Panthers, and Surtain, out of Alabama, went ninth to the Denver Broncos.

After trading back two picks to 12th, the Cowboys selected linebacker Micah Parsons out of Penn State. Now looking back on that pick, Dallas should give a special call to the Broncos and Panthers and thank them for selecting cornerbacks. That’s because Parsons has not only been one of the best defensive rookies this season but one of the best defensive players in all of football.

Parsons ranks tied for eighth in sacks (10), second in QB knockdowns (15), and second in QB pressures (43). His 10 sacks are a franchise history rookie record for the Cowboys. He also has had a sack in five straight games and is the first rookie to do that since defensive end Joey Bosa did it in 2016.

Don’t forget Parsons is a linebacker who has been playing the defensive end position for the majority of the season. This speaks to what type of player he really is – someone who can play anywhere and still be elite.

With defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory slowly coming back from injuries, it’s going to be interesting to see where Dallas plays Parsons. Nevertheless, the sky is the limit for this Cowboys’ defense and the young 22-year-old linebacker is only going to get better.