'Past character stuff' will cause Micah Parsons to fall in NFL Draft, ESPN's Todd McShay says
Todd McShay still thinks that former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons is the top defensive player in this year’s NFL Draft class, but the ESPN analyst thinks his stock is falling.
On a recent edition of the First Draft podcast, McShay said that the former Nittany Lion is the “best defensive player” in this draft. However, he point to “off-the-field” concerns as a reason why some teams are thinking about passing on the linebacker.
“Micah Parsons has fallen,” McShay said. “Micah Parsons is the best defensive player in this draft based solely on tape, but he’s got some off-the-field issues, some past character stuff and some things that teams are concerned about in terms of bringing things in. So he’s going to fall a little bit but, again, I think he’s going to be a star in the league. I really do. If you can move back and get Parsons and additional picks, that’s a win for Detroit.
“Micah Parsons is going to fall a little bit further than all of us anticipate, so he could be a really good pickup and a value at this spot (for the Washington Football Team).”
Parsons was a 5-star member of Penn State’s 2018 recruiting class and played in 26 career games for the Nittany Lions at linebacker. Over the course of his two seasons, Parsons collected 191 tackles, 18 for loss, 6.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles and 5 passes defended.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Parsons opted out of playing during the 2020 seasons and Penn State ended the year with a 4-5 record. Still, his decision not to play didn’t seem to hinder his draft status even into the offseason.
Now, though, McShay says other factors might be playing into where Parsons is selected on Thursday night.