Dallas Cowboys select Micah Parsons in 2021 NFL Draft: Grading the pick

The Dallas Cowboys dropped down two picks and added another third-round selection. When all was said and done, they took Micah Parsons from Penn State.

Last season was a mess for the Dallas Cowboys as they had to deal with a struggling defense as well as the loss of star quarterback Dak Prescott who broke his ankle in Week 5. Even with Prescott, they were struggling as they were 2-3 with him starting, but it got much worse without him.

Dallas was 4-7 without Dak, finishing 6-10 on the year. While that record is less than ideal, it did allow them to get a premium pick in the 2021 NFL Draft as they were on the clock at No. 10 overall. Unfortunately, the two players they were targeting were both gone when they were on the clock so Dallas dropped down two spots and picked up a third-round pick in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cowboys really needed a cornerback and the expectation was they would land either Jaycee Horn or Patrick Surtain II. However, that plan was blown out of the water when Horn went to the Carolina Panthers at No. 8 and Surtain went to the Denver Broncos at No. 9.

That led to the move to drop down and while picking up a third-round pick (No. 84 overall) is a good thing, it’s never smart to help a divisional opponent and that’s what happened as they opened the door for the Eagles to draft Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

Now picking at No. 12, Dallas laned Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons. While fans would surely hope this signalled the end of Jaylon Smith’s tenure, it’s probably more of an indictment of Leighton Vander Esch, who has not had his fifth-year option picked up.

Having said that, LVE was also a reminder that picking a linebacker in the first round is always a risk. Much like running backs, the top picks often struggle whereas day two and three picks usually come with much less risk.

So, how did they do?

If we look past the fact that they traded with their most-hated rival, Dallas actually did some decent work here. They added another day two pick and still ended up with the same player they likely would have taken at No. 10. And considering the Bears then moved up to No. 11 and took Justin Fields, Smith would have still been there for Philly anyway.

Parsons is being touted as one of the better defenders in the draft due to his versatility. The problem is, he also comes with some baggage as he was involved in some shady stuff while at PSU.

Having said that, they should have learned with LVE that drafting a linebacker early is a crapshoot. Add in the fact that they’re paying Jaylon Smith a ton of money and they still need to fill holes at safety, cornerback, and offensive tackle, this was simply not a great move. It’s hard to say Dallas got much better here.

Grade: C-