NFL Draft: 5 biggest winners from Round 1
. Dallas Cowboys. 4. team. 123. .
The Dallas Cowboys entered this year’s NFL Draft with optimism surrounding quarterback Dak Prescott’s recovery from a horrific injury, an offense loaded with All-Pro caliber talent; including running back Ezekiel Elliott and wide receivers Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb, and left the first-round with arguably the most dominant defender in this year’s class.
Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons offers the versatility to be an elite and disruptive downhill player from the MIKE, but also boasts sideline-to-sideline coverage skills, all after arriving in Happy Valley as a five-star recruit and one of the top defensive ends in the nation.
Following the retirement of linebacker Sean Lee this week, the Cowboys landed an instant upgrade at the position, in Parsons, who is viewed by some as a potential perennial All-Pro.
“He can be a game-changer,” a long-time NFL personnel executive told me recently, on the condition of anonymity so he could speak freely on Parsons as he still consults for several teams. “Devin White, who I loved coming out of LSU, Micah is a much better prospect than him. Devin was very athletic, very fast, you see it on the NFL level.”
Perhaps, after drafting Parsons, the Dallas Cowboys might finally have a defense that is a worthy complement to Prescott and the high-octane offense.