But one position that’s never argued too strongly is linebacker. He’s the strongest defender in run support I’ve studied for the 2021 NFL Draft class to this point, and his motor means he’s a force to be reckoned with anywhere on the field. The All-American is surprisingly athletic for a linebacker his size and has the speed and coverage skills to be able to match up against a tight end in the slot or cover a running back out in the flat.Calling back on his experience as a stand-out defensive end in high school, Parsons has the ability to beat offensive tackles off the edge as a rusher. Hamilcar Rashed Jr. – Oregon State. He has been a dominant and unstoppable force since entering the league in 2014 with the Oakland Raiders. He’ll fire through gaps and stuff a run up the middle, and he’s just as likely to beat the running back to the corner and stop him outside.Parsons is going to have some stiff competition for the top linebacker spot in the 2021 NFL Draft from the likes of Alabama’s Dylan Moses. Now one of the new Monsters of the Midway, Mack is a player that has experienced tremendous success as a down lineman and at the linebacker position. He has enough speed and agility to get looks at the linebacker position from three-four teams, but I believe his best position remains as a down lineman in a four-person front.Lawrence lost half of his rookie season due to a foot injury suffered in training camp, but it did not take long for him to make an impact for the Cowboys.
A Parsons enters his second season as a starter for the Nittany Lions, but he’s already made his mark on the college football landscape.
With those improvements and growth, Parsons will be a top-10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Both players display elite first-step quickness and incredible twitch for the defensive end position. I believe he will start his career as a situational rusher before becoming one of the better young talents in the league.Long considered one of the better edge players in the 2020 Draft class, Epenesa surprisingly fell to the second round and the Buffalo Bills with the 54th pick. He has jarring hands with immense strength and speed, with the ability to bend and get to the quarterback in a hurry.Mack is the type of player that Parsons should strive to emulate as an NFL prospect. Which school is king of the hill in producing quarterbacks?
But where does he fall among the great Penn State linebackers of all-time?One of the most prevalent and passionate arguments in college football is which college or university gets to claim the top spot at any given position.
He is equally as adept from both spots and does a great job fighting through traffic to get to the ball-carrier. A season good enough for Parsons to be named the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year.Parsons’ season culminated in a dominating performance in the 2019 Cotton Bowl, wreaking havoc on the Memphis Tigers to the tune of 14 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a Defensive MVP award.Now, Parsons enters his junior season on the precipice of being one of the top players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft. All Rights Reserved.The next man up in the discussion of 2021 dynamic edge rushers is Penn State linebacker, When discussing versatile edge rushers, Mack is one of the first players that comes to mind. Create your own mock draft or Big Board and see how it compares to the experts' rankings. The final question I’ll visit is where does Parsons rank among all-time great Penn State linebackers?The story of Penn State as “Linebacker U” starts with hall-of-famer Jack Ham in the 1960s and 70s, and culminates — on an individual level, at least — with LaVar Arrington in the late 90s. One potential dark horse in the top 2021 edge rushers conversation is Oregon State’s Rashed Jr. Rashed is an absolute staple in the opposing backfield, as he racked up 22.5 tackles for a loss last season. Like Parsons, Chaisson was a standup outside linebacker for LSU’s defense but spent a lot of time in the opposing backfield. I In terms of sack production, Rashed ranks right up there with Rousseau and will only continue to get better as he Like Lawrence, Rashed projects as a late first, early second-rounder at this point in the draft process. Micah Parsons is a rock-solid linebacker with the athleticism to play any of the 4-3 alignments and the speed to show up as a dynamic three-down playmaker. PFN’s own Brad Kelly demonstrates that great ability to get into the backfield below.Parsons will need to continue to hone his pass-rushing moves while continuing to be a force against the run. If the soon-to-be junior linebacker shows the same type of athleticism in the pre-draft process as Chaisson, the sky is the limit for his draft stock. With another season like the one he put up in 2019, I believe he can be in that group just below Ham and Arrington. It was evident that the time spent learning the position as a rookie benefited Lawrence a great deal. Parsons has displayed tremendous closing speed when rushing the passer and should see more chances to do so this season. Height, weight: 6-foot-3, 244 pounds (school measurements).