Parsons was drafted as an off the ball linebacker
Well......yes and no
They knew what they were getting .........in fact, Jerry was not on board drafting him initially coz just what you mentioned. He thought they drafting an off ball LBer until scouts and coaches convinced him otherwised.
Micah Parsons isn’t just going to play MIKE for the Dallas Cowboys, he’s also going to play edge rusher
Jerry
spoke to reporters shortly after drafting Micah Parsons and he had this to say,
"“Pressure, pressure, pressure,” Jones said. “Same kind of thought you’d have if you were looking at the best outside pass-rusher. Because he might be.”"
Micah Parsons may be playing some MIKE for the Dallas Cowboys in 2021 but we expect a whole lot more pass rushing from him than your normal middle linebacker. And I’m not talking about blitzing, I’m talking about rushing off the edge.
Micah Parsons: The pass-rusher
Perhaps it’s wishful thinking or just a stubborn refusal to accept our beloved franchise invested a top-12 pick in an off-ball linebacker, but there’s reason to believe Micah Parsons will be doing a whole lot more than play
a low value position like MIKE every week.
Middle linebacker is important, don’t get me wrong. Much like a running back, the MIKE serves an important role on every team. It’s just, also like a running back, 90% of even a great player’s production can be filled with replacement level talent.
That’s why using Micah Parsons as just a MIKE would be a colossal waste of talent. It would be like bringing in the nation’s top neurosurgeon to re-grout your on-suite bathroom. The grout is important, indeed, you just don’t need someone as special as a neurosurgeon to do it for you.
Obviously, Micah Parsons is the neurosurgeon in that analogy. Parsons is a supremely talented football player. He can do things 99% of NFL players simply cannot. That’s how special he is. He’s bigger, stronger, and faster than just about anyone else. And his ability to run and chase is almost as impressive as his ability to rush the passer.
Rushing the passer isn’t just a more valuable skill set than playing MIKE, it’s also a much rarer skill that better utilizes Parsons’ talents. In fact, his ability to rush the passer is exactly what Jerry Jones spoke of after drafting Parsons.
Related Story: 5 Ways for the Cowboys to generate more interior pressure
Jones stated Parsons was Dallas’ top rated defender
more for his pass-rushing ability than coverage and he might be the best outside pass-rusher in the class. Mike McCarthy later said Parsons
was the most impactful player at applying pressure in the draft