Since the 2021 NFL season started, Former Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Micah Parsons continues to prove that the Dallas Cowboys made the right decision to select him using the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. From the time his NFL journey began, the 22-year-old rookie has been establishing a remarkable performance on the defensive end of the floor.
As of now, Parsons is one of the frontrunners to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in the 2021 NFL season.
Parsons may just be in his rookie year, but he's already drawing comparisons to some legendary NFL players. With the way he's playing right now, Andrew Kulha of Sportscasting believes that Parsons has already entered the Lawrence Taylor territory. Taylor, a 10-time Pro Bowler, an eight-time All-Pro, and a two-time Super Bowl champion, is one of the best linebackers of all time.
Like Parsons, Taylor also made an immediate impact from the time he set foot in the NFL. In his rookie year, he didn't only win the Defensive Rookie of the Year, but also the Defensive Player of the Year.
If he's consistent with his performance and development, Parsons could definitely follow the same footsteps as Taylor. However, as of now, Parsons thinks it's still too early for him to be compared to an NFL Hall of Famer like L.T.
"I would definitely say it's real too early," Parsons said, via Dallas Cowboys' official website. "I could see the similarities, but L.T. was completely different, man. It's an honor that people are doing that, but to be compared to a Hall of Famer so early on it's just not ready to be in the conversation yet."
While Parsons is humble enough to say that he's still far from reaching the level of Taylor, there are some people who think that he's better than the legendary NFL linebacker. In a recent interview, former Cowboys quarterback Danny White said that Parsons could surpass Taylor.
“He’s better than Lawrence Taylor,” White said, via The Dallas Morning News. “He’s more versatile. Lawrence Taylor was pretty much one-dimensional. l don’t remember him ever getting to me. [Tom] Landry always had a plan for him, put a tight end over him, run a formation to force him into coverage, and he was not very good in coverage.”
It's definitely thrilling to see a rookie like Parsons being compared to an all-time great like Taylor. However, it wasn't the first time that Parsons' name was mentioned in the same conversation as legendary NFL players. In his previous appearance on Shan and RJ Show on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM] earlier in October, Cowboys General Manager Jerry Jones said that the intensity that Parsons was showing on the field can be likened to Cowboys legends Michael Irvin and Randy White.
