Cowboys 2021 NFL Draft prospect: Micah Parsons a no-brainer?

The Dallas Cowboys were just embarrassed on Thanksgiving on their home field by the now 4-7 Washington Football Team.

With a record of 3-8 through 11 games, the Cowboys have the fourth-worst record in the NFL as they kick off week 12 of action around the league. Also with the 32nd-ranked scoring defense at 32.6 points allowed per contest, it would seem the Cowboys’ 2021 NFL Draft strategy is simple: Go for defense early and often.

The Cowboys have invested a lot of money in the offensive side of the football, and they still have one big fish yet to fry with Dak Prescott’s contract expiring after this season.

Defensively, Dallas has a combination of reclamation projects and young players who have yet to really prove themselves. They have also struggled with injuries.

Projected to own the fourth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Cowboys are stuck in somewhat of a strange situation.

With the team’s ahead of them clearly in the quarterback/offensive tackle market, the Cowboys would have a rare shot at the top defensive player in the draft with the fourth pick, but this year’s draft class does not have a blue-chip EDGE player like Chase Young or a potentially dominant corner like Jeff Okudah.

Now, there will be some very good defensive players in this draft class, but Dallas certainly doesn’t have the easiest decision ahead. The current “consensus” top defensive prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft is Micah Parsons of Penn State.

Parsons opted out of the 2020 season, so we’re not getting to see how much his play has improved from what it was last year.

And last year, it was very good.

Parsons doesn’t play off the edge and taking off-ball linebackers in the top five of the NFL Draft is certainly not en vogue in today’s NFL. With that being said, the Cowboys’ defensive front needs re-tooling in the worst way, and Parsons almost makes it feel like an offense is going up against 12 players instead of just 11.

Even with Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith, Parsons’ presence and three-down abilities really seem essential for the Dallas Cowboys with what we’ve been seeing from them in recent weeks.

The Cowboys’ alternative options right now in terms of defensive prospects could be Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II, maybe Michigan EDGE Kwity Paye, or maybe a select few other prospects really emerge in the coming weeks for NFL teams.

At this point, however, Parsons has held onto his spot as the top defensive prospect in the 2021 class and no one has done enough to really seize that title from him.

For the Dallas Cowboys, almost any defensive position player would fill a huge need. Even though Parsons as an off-ball linebacker may not be the most attractive position, he does a great job of making an impact on all three downs in so many different ways, and he should be a no-brainer for them if he’s on the board with their top pick.

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