Micah Parsons selected 12th overall by Dallas Cowboys
Former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons is headed to Dallas, as the Cowboys selected him 12th overall in the first-round of the NFL Draft Thursday night.
Parsons is the first Nittany Lion to be selected in the first-round since running back Saquon Barkley went second overall to the New York Giants in 2018. He's also only the second Nittany Lion to be drafted in the first-round under James Franklin's leadership.
Penn State's coaches and fans are hoping that changes later tonight with defensive end Jayson Oweh or tight end Pat Freiermuth.
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A five-star prospect coming out of Harrisburg, Pa., Parsons went on to be a two-year letterman for the Nittany Lions. Despite the fact that he started just one game as a freshman, Parsons still led the Nittany Lions with 83 tackles in 2018. That earned him freshman All-America honors by a handful of publications, as well as honorable mention All-America honors by the Big Ten media.
In 2019, Parsons became a consensus All-American, while winning the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year award in the Big Ten. Despite the fact that he had just one tackle against Idaho and two tackles against Maryland, Parsons still finished with an eye-catching 109 tackles in 13 games that season. He also finished his career with his best performance as a Nittany Lion, totaling 14 tackles, including three tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles in the win over Memphis in the Cotton Bowl.
Parsons ended up sitting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. With the NFL Combine being cancelled, his only public workout came at Penn State's Pro Day last month. Draft experts spoke very highly of his performance, with Parsons running a 4.39-second 40-yard dash. He also did the three-cone drill in 6.89 seconds and posted a 126-inch broad jump.
Reactions from Parsons' former teammates and coaches started to pour in immediately after the pick was announced.
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