R1 Grade: B-

[phildadon86]

Parsons does what you want out of an elite LB...he's nothing like Jaylon Smith at all two very different LB styles.

Oh look. Someone that knows what they are talking about lol.

 

[DuncanIso]

Most fans don't know their rear from a hole in the ground..no offense to anyone. This was a great pick and got a 3rd for free.

very talented LB.

but the OL still needs help.

passing on Slater was crazy. LA jumped all over that pick.

we can still get help for the OL. There are still a few players on the board.

but passing on Slater stings.

 

[ondaedg]

Yes! I wasn't even quite going to so far as to say NEED. But it's a definite concern and worth mentionning that they are so similar.
I'm about 90% sure next year you;'ll have Jaylon at Mike calling the defense and Parsons playing Will as Jaylon lines him up.

I don't know that either are the Zone drop type backer in coverages (LVE is really good there) but both are nasty good in man to man for big dudes.

I even edited my post to say that we need a new "field general like Sean Lee" . Who knows maybe Parsons will become that guy. Either way he should cause some collisions.

 

[jterrell]

Matt Miller: Player 8

Name: Micah Parsons
Position: Linebacker
College: Penn State
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 246 lbs (pro day)

Overall Rank: No. 6 overall
Position Rank: LB1

Strengths: It is rare to find a linebacker with Parsons’ athletic ability. At 6’3” and 246 pounds he ran a low 4.4-second 40-yard dash. Parsons has the build, strength and athleticism to play any linebacker spot and can handle all three phases of defensive play (run, pass, rush) equally. He’s explosive and violent when pursuing the football and shows the closing speed to erase plays when coming downhill. Parsons’ speed and burst are eye-popping and make him an ideal matchup defender against versatile, athletic tight ends in pass coverage. He’s also shown an ability as a pass-rusher and can impact the game coming off the edge. Parsons’ is loaded with potential—especially as a rusher—and could ultimately become a much better and more well-rounded NFL defender than he was in college. There is no limit to how good Parsons can be thanks to his elite athleticism.

Weaknesses: Parsons has benefited from a defensive scheme that has largely kept him clean of blockers. He’ll have to learn to better rip and shed blockers at the pro level. He’s been able to cover up any hesitation in his instincts with elite speed, but that won’t always be the case in the NFL. Parsons was named in a lawsuit by a former Penn State teammate in part of a hazing scandal. No charges were filed and Parsons was not sued by the former teammate.

What I Love: In terms of athletic ability, Parsons is in rare company. Linebackers with this size don’t generally move the way he does. Parsons is scheme-fluid and positionally versatile. He should have a major impact on his new team from the first day.

 

[Whyjerry]

Draft grades should be withheld for at least 2 years.

 

[CATCH17]

All in all I am mixed on the Cowboys R1.

Pros:
- Parsons might be the best raw athlete in this draft defensively. 4.39 at 246 pounds is scary good.
- He is a defender. DAL had to align resources to that side of the ball. Forgetting the NFL game is still 3 phases is egregious roster mgmt.
- For all the Jaylon/LVE miss talk they were dynamic together with a healthy LVE for one stretch. You can see Quinn trying to recreate that with a healthy Parsons.
- The trade down was insanely nice. You pick up 84 for free as DAL was absolutely not taking a QB or WR. DAL has most remaining picks/value of any team. Should own day 2 w/ 4 picks.
- Parsons was the top rated defender on most boards for the last year.
- Day 1 role as a starting LB. Likely plays Will w LVE becoming LB3.
- Jimmy chart says DAL won trade with 170 point pick 84 for dropping 2 spots which is 100 points. +70 points is pretty extreme.

Cons:
- He is a Cowboys LB... he can run and he can hit but he attacks first action; Ball fakes own him.
- He is a LB period. Positional value is lowest on defense for me.
- He is a bit too concerned with being an alpha dog for me.
- Team now has two Jaylons. Big dudes who play best just attacking or lining up in man coverage versus tight ends/running backs.
- Top 2 CBs probably were a better fit for positional value, immediate return.

Accurate & realistic post.

Homers will hate it.

 

[RoyTheHammer]

very talented LB.

but the OL still needs help.

passing on Slater was crazy. LA jumped all over that pick.

we can still get help for the OL. There are still a few players on the board.

but passing on Slater stings.

Agree we can still find a quality player.to help OL.

But dude..our defense..is trash. We got the best defensive prospect in the draft. Can't be upset by that. Need more help on that side today.

 

[jterrell]

Draft grades should be withheld for at least 2 years.

As soon as people stop posting on my grade threads I'll stop posting them.

 

[CATCH17]

Parsons does what you want out of an elite LB...he's nothing like Jaylon Smith at all two very different LB styles.

How are they different?

 

[Crown Royal]

They were part of the equation, they just would have required a move up.
End of day they were almost certainly the teams top 2 targets.
They went off board so that's a con.
I liked both CB more than Parsons but I do not think I liked them more than Parsons +75+84 which is what it ended up being.

Still feels like a weak Con then. I Coveted the DBs as well, but I prefer Parsons + 84 than Surtain - 75.

What I REALLY want now is Parsons + Trevon Moehrig. If we can convert that 84, or even 75 to make that happy, then I think we made the absolute best of the situation.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

You can write Parsons in as a starter in ink right now. Nobody on the roster has his physicals, for one, seriously doubt Smith can run a 4.39 now, and he and LVE are also starters.

And Jerry loves flash, look for Parsons to be the main blitzer on the defense....

 

[CATCH17]

very talented LB.

but the OL still needs help.

passing on Slater was crazy. LA jumped all over that pick.

we can still get help for the OL. There are still a few players on the board.

but passing on Slater stings.

As much as Tyron is hurt too?

We passed on Slater for a Linebacker (position value) we hope can cover.

 

[chicago JK]

I don't know what to think. I think we will need to wait to see him on the field. I think it is unfair to give a final evaluation off his true sophomore season play from two years ago. He hopefully is not a finished product.

But linebacker is a collision and high injury position. Instincts and discipline are so important at linebacker as well. We have seen many freak athletes at linebacker underperform either due to injury or because they lack great instincts.

So we will see. I would have gone Slater, but Parsons probably has more of an top end upside.

I think rounds 2 and 3 are the real value in this draft. Tonight is big night for this franchise.

 

[Whyjerry]

As soon as people stop posting on my grade threads I'll stop posting them.

I am not bashing the thread. I am bashing the ESPN types that love the grades. Relax Francis.

 

[CATCH17]

Agree we can still find a quality player.to help OL.

But dude..our defense..is trash. We got the best defensive prospect in the draft. Can't be upset by that. Need more help on that side today.

This is lazy.

The opinion of “well we suck at defense so I’m glad we took defense.”

So many things wrong with that.

 

[Malhavoc]

Dane rated him 12th.
Matt Miller 8th.

He's a solid value at 12 and the trade was a big win.

Not sure why my grade is seen as overly harsh.
I fully expect them to have an A grade day 2 with the added picks and do well this draft.

I just think the Parsons pick was a bit of a punt as their top targets went off the board and inf act the Eagles bailed them out with a free R3 for a guy they would have taken at 10 anyway.

So in your opinion what is it you think they should have done ?

 

[aria]

I feel like this is deja vu with LVE and Jaylon all over again, more specifically LVE.

“We got the best LB’er in the draft, what a steal. He’s going to beast out, we’re finally going to have a legit LB’er. He’s not like any LB’er we’ve ever had, he’s much better. We’re so good at drafting”.

If Jerry was as near as good at drafting as some say and if LVE was all that like fans said after we drafted him, we probably wouldn’t have just drafted another LB’er.

Time will tell but we can pretend to be paper champs for another 5-6 months.

 

[jterrell]

Still feels like a weak Con then. I Coveted the DBs as well, but I prefer Parsons + 84 than Surtain - 75.

What I REALLY want now is Parsons + Trevon Moehrig. If we can convert that 84, or even 75 to make that happy, then I think we made the absolute best of the situation.

Totally fair.
Again I was trying to be open and consider all factors.
I agree that I'd prefer Parsons plus+75+84 to either CB.
And I'd take Parsons +84 over Slater though I might not have taken that gamble.

 

[CATCH17]

I don't know what to think. I think we will need to wait to see him on the field. I think it is unfair to give a final evaluation off his true sophomore season play from two years ago. He hopefully is not a finished product.

But linebacker is a collision and high injury position. Instincts and discipline are so important at linebacker as well. We have seen many freak athletes at linebacker underperform either due to injury or because they lack great instincts.

So we will see. I would have gone Slater, but Parsons probably has more of an top end upside.

I think rounds 2 and 3 are the real value in this draft. Tonight is big night for this franchise.

He’s going to be really good at blitzing and running down RBs.

Problem is how often are you going to blitz him and drafting a run defender in round 1 is a waste of resources.

Almost all the teams drafting last night were trying to get a passer, get weapons for their passer, get guys to protect their passer, get guys to cover weapons of the passer, and getting guys to hit the passer.

That is modern day football.

Not using premium picks to upgrade your run defense lol.

 

[Sarge]

very talented LB.

but the OL still needs help.

passing on Slater was crazy. LA jumped all over that pick.

we can still get help for the OL. There are still a few players on the board.

but passing on Slater stings.

We need LB , OL, S DL, and CB help.