Defensive Rookie of the Year Favorite Micah Parsons Showing Out in OTAs
If there’s one thing OTAs are good for, it's being able to take rookie performances and get your hopes up for what they could be. For Cowboys fans, first-round draft pick Micah Parsons is already showing a lot in practice.
Parsons had a pick-six today on Ben DiNucci and followed it up with a sack on Garrett Gilbert. Parsons was the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Dallas was suspected to be taking a cornerback, but after Patrick Surtain II and Jaycee Horn were taken off the board, the Cowboys decided their defense still needed to be addressed.
Cowboys rookie LB Micah Parsons had sack of Garrett Gilbert on blitz up the middle
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) June 3, 2021
The Cowboys linebacking core now consists of Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch after veteran Sean Lee retired during the offseason.
Parsons is joining a Dallas defense that was awful last season. The Cowboys were No. 28 in points allowed and No. 23 in yards allowed. As Dallas is rebuilding that side of the ball, Parsons is expected to make an immediate impact, similar to what happened today in practice.
WynnBET has Parsons as the favorite (+500) to win Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021. As a team, the Cowboys also have favorable odds heading into the 2021 season. WynnBET projects Dallas to win the NFC East (+135). It doesn’t take a lot to win the NFC East either. The Cowboys win total is at 9.5, but the under is favored at -120 odds.