Micah Parsons reportedly to opt out of 2020 season, enter 2021 NFL Draft
Penn State star linebacker Micah Parsons will reportedly sit out the 2020 season and enter the 2021 NFL Draft.
The COVID-19 pandemic is allowing us to see many more early declarations this year than ever before, and this is only the beginning. According to Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports, Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons will be opting out of the 2020 college football season and will enter the 2021 NFL Draft. According to Edholm, Parsons is expected to make his decision official on Wednesday morning.
Parsons is the third major college football player to make this decision, following the lead of Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley and Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman. Both Farley and Bateman will likely be first-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, but Parsons is the highest-ranked prospect to make the jump thus far.
Micah Parsons will be a legitimate contender to be the top defensive player in the 2021 NFL Draft class. His combination of quickness and athleticism at the linebacker position is incredibly impressive and makes him an ideal player for the modern NFL. Parsons is a tremendous sideline-to-sideline defender who shows plenty of upside as a run defender, pass rusher and coverage player. Simply put, this guy can do it all.
The decision to leave Penn State could not have been an easy one for Parsons to make, but it is hard to blame him for making this call. Whether he played a snap of football this season or not, Micah Parsons was easily going to be a first-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. He is still likely a top 10 pick no matter what. Why would he risk the health and safety of himself and the people around him when his NFL future is so obvious?
Top 2021 prospect at each position. dark. Next
Losing guys like Parsons is undoubtedly going to hurt the 2020 college football season. Who will be the next player to opt-out and start to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft? Only time will tell, but it sure feels like we are going to see a lot of these announcements in the near future.