There is no doubt Micah Parsons is a tremendous NFL talent. Already a great pass rush threat and just a beast of an athlete, Parsons has been great most of the time, although has seemingly disappeared in some of the biggest games against SF twice in the playoffs and GB last year.
I recently reviewed Parsons’ pre-draft profile from 2021 and it seems pretty accurate. I want to look at what they said were his strengths as well as his weaknesses on and off the field from multiple sources:
STRENGTHS FROM DRAFT PROFILE:
- Amazing speed at his pro day, clocking a 4.36 forty.
- Explosive change of direction skills
- Has foot quickness and change of direction of a running back.
- Can overcome mental mistakes with explosive athleticism.
- Size and strength to free himself from blocks.
- Excellent twitch for lateral gap-to-gap peek-a-boo skill looking for ball-carrier.
- Wrap-up tackler with limited broken tackles on his bill.
- Talented hunter when blitz is dialed up.
- Able to bend and flatten to quarterback as edge rusher.
- Gains instant depth dropping into coverage.
- Athletic talent to handle man coverage duties.
WEAKNESSES FROM DRAFT PROFILE
- Can be immature and high-maintenance at times.
- Runs himself out of position with unnecessary early charges.
- Quick to run rather than scrape with square pads.
- Has issues battling downhill rushing attacks coming right at him.
- Loses gap leverage side-stepping lead blocks.
- Film-study habits need to get better.
- May need guidance from coaches and veteran players alike to mature.
Looking at this pre-draft profile three years later, it seems amazingly accurate. I’m interested in the first and last bullets from the weaknesses list. The one that says, “May need guidance from coaches and veteran players alike to mature” seems completely on target. So who are the veteran players and coaches who will step up in the maturation process?
Sources:
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/micah-parsons/32005041-5275-3418-9a2d-9826287ee445
https://www.nfl.com/videos/2021-nfl-draft-scouting-report-micah-parsons
https://sports.yahoo.com/2021-nfl-d...ed-but-carries-elite-potential-180503685.html
