Micah Parsons

Since being selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Parsons has emerged as one of the most dynamic defensive players in the league, racking up 26.5 sacks in his first 33 games for Dallas without even being a full-time pass rusher. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn sees the value in keeping offenses guessing by lining Parsons up all over the formation and using him in different roles, and while that makes the 24-year-old's ultimate statistical output tough to predict, his main job for the Cowboys will still be to terrorize quarterbacks.

There’s no comparison to the uniqueness and profound talent Parsons brings to the field, and it’s tough to project the specifics of his future since he can dominate in so many ways. The area of eventual focus is what will determine his IDP upside – more off-ball work means more tackles, so the more Parsons rushes the passer the less likely he is to rank at the top of IDP linebackers.

The 11th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Parsons graded as the top defensive player in the entire class on some boards. His sideline-to-sideline speed and burst to the ball are elite, giving him massive IDP upside as a tackle vacuum who also can rush the passer and handle coverage assignments. While he needs to refine his reads and positioning and learn when to lay back rather than be in all-out attack mode, physically there's little Parsons can't do on the field. The only thing standing between him and huge numbers as a rookie might be the competition for snaps from holdovers Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch.