Some teams wait decades before they land a franchise-changing talent, a player who can single-handedly draw free agents to the team just because they want to team up with him, a guy who can turn the team around in little-to-no time.The Dallas Cowboys have found that guy in Micah Parsons, as the rookie out of Penn State is already one of the most impactful players in the NFL.Parsons has been such a game-changer that he's in line to become the first player since Lawrence Taylor to win both Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.He's An Elite Pass-RusherIn a survey conducted by NFL.com's Tom Pelissero, a couple of executives discusses what made Parsons such a unique force.Unsurprisingly, his ability to rush the passer despite playing 50% of his snaps as a middle linebacker immediately stood up."Really, the pass rush is what separates him," an unnamed AFC executive told Pelissero. "He's just got an incredible get-off, burst, so explosive, can beat you with speed, speed-to-power [and he's] getting a better arsenal."Parsons is just 1.5 sacks away from breaking the league's all-time rookie sack record, logging 13 through the first 16 games of the season.Micah's Versatility Makes Him UniqueThe Cowboys have lined him up on the defensive line for nearly 42% of his snaps and inside the box at linebacker as well. He's excelled at both:"Micah's having a hell of a year," an NFC executive added. "Every time we study them, he's making plays all over the joint. And he's such a versatile piece. Whether he's playing off the edge, playing in the middle, dropping, moving forward -- he's sideline to sideline. He's easily the Defensive Rookie of the Year, and I don't know that he's not the Defensive Player of the Year."Saquon Barkley Compares Him To Lawrence TaylorParsons' strength, dominance, and versatility have made people compare him to Lawrence Taylor.Even his divisional rival and fellow Penn State alumni Saquon Barkley addressed the resemblances between Parsons and the legendary stopper:“I’ve never really seen anything like him. He’s really LT-like, to be honest,” Barkley told Yahoo Sports. “It is what it is: He’s insane. Every week, [Parsons is] one of those guys that, even if I can’t watch his game, I’ll look and say, ‘What is he doing?’""And I am not just saying this because we’re friends. The sky is really the limit with him. If he keeps working hard and keeping his head on straight, he can be even better than he is now. That’s the scary thing," Barkley added.Parsons Says He's Still HungryMicah Parsons knows it's still too early to compare him with a Hall of Famer and that the Cowboys still have plenty of work to do:"We could do a lot better," Parsons said after the game."We did a good job, but that's not the best we could do." We’re not alligators. We don’t get paralyzed after we eat. I said we were going to peak, and I think we're peaking at the right moment, right now."That's the kind of mindset you want from your franchise player, for sure.
Some teams wait decades before they land a franchise-changing talent, a player who can single-handedly draw free agents to the team just because they want to team up with him, a guy who can turn the team around in little-to-no time.The Dallas Cowboys have found that guy in Micah Parsons, as the rookie out of Penn State is already one of the most impactful players in the NFL.Parsons has been such a game-changer that he's in line to become the first player since Lawrence Taylor to win both Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.He's An Elite Pass-RusherIn a survey conducted by NFL.com's Tom Pelissero, a couple of executives discusses what made Parsons such a unique force.Unsurprisingly, his ability to rush the passer despite playing 50% of his snaps as a middle linebacker immediately stood up."Really, the pass rush is what separates him," an unnamed AFC executive told Pelissero. "He's just got an incredible get-off, burst, so explosive, can beat you with speed, speed-to-power [and he's] getting a better arsenal."Parsons is just 1.5 sacks away from breaking the league's all-time rookie sack record, logging 13 through the first 16 games of the season.Micah's Versatility Makes Him UniqueThe Cowboys have lined him up on the defensive line for nearly 42% of his snaps and inside the box at linebacker as well. He's excelled at both:"Micah's having a hell of a year," an NFC executive added. "Every time we study them, he's making plays all over the joint. And he's such a versatile piece. Whether he's playing off the edge, playing in the middle, dropping, moving forward -- he's sideline to sideline. He's easily the Defensive Rookie of the Year, and I don't know that he's not the Defensive Player of the Year."Saquon Barkley Compares Him To Lawrence TaylorParsons' strength, dominance, and versatility have made people compare him to Lawrence Taylor.Even his divisional rival and fellow Penn State alumni Saquon Barkley addressed the resemblances between Parsons and the legendary stopper:“I’ve never really seen anything like him. He’s really LT-like, to be honest,” Barkley told Yahoo Sports. “It is what it is: He’s insane. Every week, [Parsons is] one of those guys that, even if I can’t watch his game, I’ll look and say, ‘What is he doing?’""And I am not just saying this because we’re friends. The sky is really the limit with him. If he keeps working hard and keeping his head on straight, he can be even better than he is now. That’s the scary thing," Barkley added.Parsons Says He's Still HungryMicah Parsons knows it's still too early to compare him with a Hall of Famer and that the Cowboys still have plenty of work to do:"We could do a lot better," Parsons said after the game."We did a good job, but that's not the best we could do." We’re not alligators. We don’t get paralyzed after we eat. I said we were going to peak, and I think we're peaking at the right moment, right now."That's the kind of mindset you want from your franchise player, for sure.
