Micah Parsons 4.39 40 time

[Cowpolk]

That’s great but the ability to cover is a skill and if he doesn’t have that skill then NFL teams will abuse him like they do Jaylon and he and Jaylon already have the same strengths.

Given the passing-driven moden game, a linebacker has to be a good player in coverage in order to be a first-round pick in an NFL draft, and Parsons has three-down starter ability and is an asset for defending the pass. He is very good in zone, covering a lot of ground in the middle of the field and covering the flat sideline-to-sideline. On top of being a functional zone linebacker, Parsons brings blitzing ability. He closes on the quarterback in a hurry and uses his vision and agility to dart through openings in the line to get pressure in the pocket. Parsons will be a nice linebacker in a blitzing scheme or for playing a lot of zone, like a Tampa 2 defense.

Parsons has the physical skill set to cover tight ends in man coverage. Thanks to his size and strength, tight ends can't push him around, and he has the speed to run with them down the seam. His NFL team should break Parsons in slowly in man-coverage situations because he sat out the 2020 season, but his ability there is something that should develop as he gains experience at the pro level.

Parsons is a tough run defender who demonstrates instinctiveness and read-and-react ability. He does a very nice job of reading his keys and then firing to the ball to limit runs. Parsons will quickly diagnose a play and dart behind the line to start a tackle for a loss. With his closing speed and strength, Parsons can pack a punch on ball-carriers when he comes downhill. Parsons is fast to the perimeter to shut down runs in the flat, and he is a good tackler who is reliable to get the ball-carrier to the ground. Parsons' athleticism and agility provide him with plus change-of-direction skills as well.

As a pro, Parsons needs to improve his ability to take on and shed blocks in the tackle box. He tried to run around blocks at times at Penn State, but that is something he will improve upon as he gains experience.

Parsons looks like a versatile linebacker who could play a variety of spots, including on the inside of a 3-4 defense, as a Mike linebacker in a 4-3, or as a Will linebacker in a 4-3. He should be a valuable chess piece for his pro defensive coordinator and a solution to a variety of assignments.

 

[AsthmaField]

No, just giving you the leveled playing field facts.
Combine times are .05-.10 slower than Pro Days
That is how it is...for the last decade...always
Who knows, maybe this year will be different.

I'm not here to argue...was actually complementing the time for an LB

How do you know when to add 0.05 and when to add 0.10?

 

[DFWJC]

How do you know when to add 0.05 and when to add 0.10?

You don't.
Don't know that until you get the "official" combine times.

Really if it was the other way around--Combines faster instead of slower-- it'd be the same thing.
The main gripe is that Pro Days have friendly and inconsistent timers, and often faster surfaces--although not always both.

The combine isn't necessarily perfect, it's just that it's the same timing mechanism and surface for everyone.
You just want to be comparing apples vs apples, that's all.

 

[AsthmaField]

Parsons is an extremely talented player who is young in both age and experience at the LB position. He’s going to do nothing but get better and better.

His instincts aren’t like Bolton’s but they aren’t that far off either. How some people get such a strong opinion on things from just reading some random player evaluations from across the internet, I don’t know. It goes from “his natural nose for the football is still in the works” in January, and then by April it has become, “Parsons has zero instincts for playing linebacker, can’t find the ball and gets lost on plays”.

It is just like Surtain goes from not quite having 4.3 speed but still not giving up the long ball, to suddenly being an unathletic slug who repeatedly gets beat deep.

These player profiles are done by guys who half the time don’t really know what they’re talking about and are simply parroting what they read across the internet from guys who may or may not actually know what they’re talking about. Small flaws get blown out of proportion just like Parsons instincts or Surtain’s long speed are being done. And you tube guys who are doing a “breakdown” on player X are, for the most part, way off and are simply showing proof of a conclusion they reached long before they actually started watching any gameplay from that player. You can find plays where any player looks like he has no instincts and plays where they look like the second coming. YouTuber’s find the film that matched what they’re wanting to say.

Seriously, there is a lot of misleading info out there. And for guys to argue using that information as if it is gospel really should go in to the disagreement with the idea that the information that they have just might be wrong. Truly.

If Waddle is listed with a higher “grade” than Chase on a couple of websites, you probably shouldn’t be going around typing all over the internet that Waddle is “the better prospect”. There are probably 10 other sites that lists Chase with a higher grade that the guy your arguing with looked at just before logging on here.

I respect some of the sites out there but a ton of them are just junk. They are looking for things to write and if they see a guy look like his instincts are bad on one play, they’ll run with that narrative as if it was written in the King James Bible. And they do that without even knowing who’s responsibility was what on that play.

Parsons is a hell of a prospect. Just watch a game of his. Not highlights or lowlights that someone put together... just a game of him lining up at LB and destroying what the offense was wanting to do. And then remember how little time he’s had playing LB and realize that he’s going to get a lot better.

Parsons is absolutely worth the 10th pick and if Dallas decides to take him, we should all be pretty excited about the possibilities.

 

[AsthmaField]

You don't.
Don't know that until you get the "official" combine times.

Really if it was the other way around--Combines faster instead of slower-- it'd be the same thing.
The main gripe is that Pro Days have friendly and inconsistent timers, and often faster surfaces--although not always both.

The combine isn't necessarily perfect, it's just that it's the same timing mechanism and surface for everyone.
You just want to be comparing apples vs apples, that's all.

Oh, I know the pro day times are faster... I just don’t know how much faster.

It is why scouts will have to rely heavily on what they should be relying heavily on: The prospects playing Football.

The combine isn’t perfect but it at least is an attempt to standardize player testing.

 

[rambo2]

I rather have Chaz Surratt. Only been a LB for 2 years and led every LB in QB pressure since then. Played QB so understands routes, assignments and what QBs like to do.

Needs to learn how to shed blocks but seen him mocked from 2-4th round in most mocks.

Unless Bolton is at 44 or a trade back from 10, I much rather get CB, safety, DT and Surratt.

Parsons might be a Lawrence Taylor.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

Parsons might be a Lawrence Taylor.

I doubt that. Parsons isn't even close to Lawrence Taylor. He isn't great in coverage or diagnosing plays. Is very athletic but not a top 10 player in my opinion and nothing close to LT or becoming LT

 

[phildadon86]

I doubt that. Parsons isn't even close to Lawrence Taylor. He isn't great in coverage or diagnosing plays. Is very athletic but not a top 10 player in my opinion and nothing close to LT or becoming LT

Can I ask you something? Actually the whole board. If he’s not great at diagnosing plays. Or reading and reacting. How is he ranked the second best run defender in college on 2019? Is run defense pretty much all reading and reacting and knowing not guessing which gap the runner is coming thru? Just curious

 

[RonnieT24]

Scouts listed him as plug and play. Don't know.

That's the fun of it isn't it? Not knowing.. We squint and look at things several different ways and think we know.. but the truth is for the most part aside from one or two positions on the field.. running back and maybe cornerback, we really have no idea how a guy will pan out in the NFL. The one factor I always come back to is "the situation room." How guys fit where they get drafted.. Who will coach them? What will be the quality of their teammates. People act like these kids are just going to show up and start dominating the NFL at age 21, which almost never happens.. Then there is the mental aspect of it. How will a kid who has lost 5 games combined in their 8 year high school and college careers handle losing 5 games in the first two months in the NFL. How will he handle NOT being the biggest baddest dude on the field? Anybody that says they know these things is blowing smoke unless they know the kid personally.. and even then it's still a SWAG. Maybe a slightly educated SWAG but a SWAG nonetheless. But it doesn't matter.. It's still fun to speculate. I don't get mad when someone disagrees with me about a prospect.. I just go in search of more information to support either point of view.

 

[RonnieT24]

Can I ask you something? Actually the whole board. If he’s not great at diagnosing plays. Or reading and reacting. How is he ranked the second best run defender in college on 2019? Is run defense pretty much all reading and reacting and knowing not guessing which gap the runner is coming thru? Just curious

Because I only watched one or two PSU games in 2019 I cannot speak specifically much on Parsons.. but I can tell you that an inside backer in college absolutely can defend the run just using his size and athleticism if one or two things are true. One he has to have great coaching to point him in the right direction and two he has to have good to great line play in front of him to keep him from getting caught up in the wash. Parsons is as fast as most RBs in college.. and probably faster than some so if everything is clean in front of him all he has to do is use that 4.4 speed to go meet the ballcarrier once he sees where he's going. That part's not really in question. The question is will it work to the same degree in the pros. Is he big and fast enough to do the same thing in the NFL? In vacuum you'd have to say absolutely, but if you put him in the middle behind a crappy defensive front and allow NFL guards and tackles to get on him he's going to be in trouble. That's just reality. There has not been a linebacker born who could thrive behind the trash we were putting out there in our defensive interior for most of 2020. So if we don't get that fixed Parsons is going to look a lot like other guys we've had at linebacker.

 

[RonnieT24]

I doubt that. Parsons isn't even close to Lawrence Taylor. He isn't great in coverage or diagnosing plays. Is very athletic but not a top 10 player in my opinion and nothing close to LT or becoming LT

To be fair LT wasn't exactly stellar in coverage either.. But dude was a heat seeking missile getting after the QB and blowing up running plays.

 

[kskboys]

Can I ask you something? Actually the whole board. If he’s not great at diagnosing plays. Or reading and reacting. How is he ranked the second best run defender in college on 2019? Is run defense pretty much all reading and reacting and knowing not guessing which gap the runner is coming thru? Just curious

It's much faster in the NFL, so a player who doesn't have enough instincts won't play at a high level.

What you look for in a MLB: Agility, burst, short area quickness, instincts. Pretty much everything else can be taught. Parsons has all of that, and at a very high level. He's a special player.

 

[Vinnie2u]

FYI I listened to ESPN radio this morning and they interviewed James Franklin the PSU head coach. He said that Micah wanted to play this season. But when the Big 10 canceled the season , he took money from a agent to hire a draft prep coach. When the Big 10 decided to play is was too late. He would have to pay back the money.. and his family could not come
Up with the funds. Take it for what it’s worth.

 

[rambo2]

I doubt that. Parsons isn't even close to Lawrence Taylor. He isn't great in coverage or diagnosing plays. Is very athletic but not a top 10 player in my opinion and nothing close to LT or becoming LT

He didn't even play this year. He could be an absolute stud or a complete bust.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

Can I ask you something? Actually the whole board. If he’s not great at diagnosing plays. Or reading and reacting. How is he ranked the second best run defender in college on 2019? Is run defense pretty much all reading and reacting and knowing not guessing which gap the runner is coming thru? Just curious

Cause he is so much more athletic than the guys he is going against. He has tons of potential, no doubt but in my opinion that's more a round 2 guy.

I wouldn't be mad if Dallas drafted him cause I support all Cowboys but I feel much better players are available at 10 over Parsons and you can get just as good a LB late first to 3rd round like Nick Bolton that already can cover and diagnose plays.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

To be fair LT wasn't exactly stellar in coverage either.. But dude was a heat seeking missile getting after the QB and blowing up running plays.

LT was a much better pass rusher than Parsons. I just don't see the comparison at all

 

[Irvin88_4life]

He didn't even play this year. He could be an absolute stud or a complete bust.

If you draft him top 10 he will be closer to bust than stud

 

[kskboys]

If you draft him top 10 he will be closer to bust than stud

Strange statement to make.

Parsons has a high floor.

 

[rambo2]

If you draft him top 10 he will be closer to bust than stud

Who knows? He has the athletic ability to be a great player. He could be great. He could get hurt his 1st year and do nothing. It just depends on luck.

 

[rambo2]

LT was a much better pass rusher than Parsons. I just don't see the comparison at all

Parsons looks like he could be an outstanding pass rusher.