Patriots haters should be furious if Bill Belichick gets Micah Parsons
By Jerry Trotta
The latest buzz suggests that the New England Patriots are among several teams in the mix to select a quarterback in the first round of this month’s NFL Draft.
In a perfect world, GM Bill Belichick would hold serve at No. 15 overall and draft the best available player at the position. However, the chances of that happening are slim to none, meaning he’d likely have to move up several picks in order to nab one of the top prospects.
Taking that into account, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Patriots stayed put and embraced the “best fit” approach.
Given that this is likely the highest pick they’ll have for the next several years, if not longer, this might not sit well with fans.
However, if it means adding Micah Parsons to the defense, which figures to make massive strides after the team’s free agent splurge, fans would be hard-pressed to have any complaints.
After all, the Penn State linebacker is seemingly a perfect fit for Belichick’s scheme.
Micah Parsons to Patriots in NFL mock draft? Sign Bill Belichick up for that https://t.co/04V9449jVp
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) February 11, 2021
Patriots haters will be sick if Micah Parsons falls to them in the draft.
By no means should the Patriots’ free agent spending spree dissuade them from adding a player in Parsons who many experts regard as the best defensive prospect in the 2021 class.
The young linebacker has a flurry of compelling intangibles, but his versatility, which is something Belichick always seeks out in a prospect, is easily his most intriguing attribute. As a rookie, he should have no trouble slotting in as the inside or weak side LB.
On top of that, Parsons has the build of a defensive end and could line up on the edge as a pass rusher if needed. At 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, he also flaunts the requisite frame and speed to drop back in coverage against wideouts and tight ends.
Don’t believe us? Look no further than his jaw-dropping pro day numbers. Among the highlights were a 4.39 (!) 40-yard dash, 39.5-inch vertical jump and a 134-inch broad jump, each of which blew away his already-colossal expectations leading up to the event.
https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1375112879268114435
Across two years with the Nittany Lions — he opted out of last season to focus on preparing for the draft — Parsons absolutely padded the stat sheet, tallying 191 total tackles, 18 of which went for a loss, 6.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and five passes defended.
Like any rookie, there will be growing pains, but Parsons is as close to a can’t-miss prospect (on either side of the ball, mind you) as anybody in this year’s class. Furthermore, Belichick and veteran linebacker Dont’a Hightower will be right there to coach him through his miscues.
Belichick might have to luck out to land Parsons at No. 15 overall. In the event that the 21-year-old physical specimen does fall that far, however, Patriots haters might never recover.
