Penn State football: Potential landing spots for Micah Parsons in 2021 NFL Draft
By John Buhler
Penn State football star Micah Parsons is a coveted prospect entering the 2021 NFL Draft.
Even though Micah Parsons opted out of the 2020 college football season, that is not going have all that much of an impact on his 2021 NFL Draft status. During his two years playing for the Penn State football team, Parsons was a consensus All-American and First-Team All-Big Ten. He was the favorite to win the Butkus Award ahead of his junior season, but decided to opt out instead.
Parsons was a tackling machine in Penn State uniform. He registered 191 total tackles in 26 games for the Nittany Lions. 18 of them came for a loss of yardage and 6.5 of them went for sacks. At 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, the Harrisburg native projects as the next star linebacker out of LBU. Parsons is a lock to go in the first-round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Where will he be drafted?
Where will Micah Parsons land in the 2021 NFL Draft?
Scouting Report. AFC West. 5. player. 28. Pick Analysis. (No. 17). Las Vegas Raiders
Though it is not expected, there is a chance Parsons could fall into the late teens in the first round. While he could come off the board after when they are selecting, it is hard to see Parsons dropping any further than the Las Vegas Raiders picking at No. 17. If Jon Gruden wants to make the AFC playoffs in his fourth year back leading the team, the Raiders have to get better defensively stat.
Parsons is a potential franchise cornerstone at linebacker. Even though his position group has been devalued because of the NFL becoming more passing-centric, Parsons does give off the vibe of former star middle linebackers before him like Luke Kuechly and Patrick Willis. While those are lofty standards for him to attain, that is the type of talent Parsons has.
The Raiders will have an arduous hill to climb most seasons with Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes quarterbacking rival teams in the division. However, having a potential defensive stopper, someone who can galvanize an entire defense could be the ultimate game-changer. By drafting him in the middle of the first round, that is what the Raiders are hoping for in Parsons.