Micah Parsons turned the Dallas Cowboys defense from the worst in the league to one of the best in the league. Before the Cowboys selected Parsons with the 12th pick, the team was fifth-high in the league for defensive points and tenth highest in the league for yards released. This season, the Cowboys released the seventh fewest yards in the league and ranked 19th in the number of yards released, which is also an important reason why they won the National League East Division championship with an 11-4 record and impacted the Super Bowl.
Parsons has been a force to be reckoned with on his first day with the Cowboys, having completed 79 tackles, 13 tackles, 3 losses and three destruction passes this season, and he can line up at the defensive end or at the lineback. His 45 quarterback pressures and 29 quarterback strikes are in the top three of all defensive players. Parsons, on the other hand, has played just 15 games in his career and has already established himself as a top defensive player. Not only is he a strong contender for the best defensive rookie of the year, but he can even storm the best defensive player.
Today we take a look at Parsons' performance in the best defensive rookie of all time, first look at this year's NFL rush data:
Grappling:
NO.1 T.J. Watt (Steelman) 17 times
NO.2 Robert Quinn (Bear) 17 times
NO.3 Nick Bossa (49ers) 15 times
NO.4 Miles Garrett (Brown) 15 times
NO.5 Trey Hendrickson (Tigers) 14 times
NO.6 Parsons (cowboy) 13 times
Quarterback impact
NO.1 T.J. Watt 31 times
NO.2 Nick Bosa 30 times
NO.3 Parsons 29 times
NO.4 Miles-Garrett 28 times
NO.5 Jonahan-Allen (Washington) 27 times
Pressure
NO.1 Nick Bosa 46 times
NO.2 Miles-Garrett 46 times
NO.3 Parsons 45 times
NO.4 T.J. Watt 42 times
NO.5 Matt Juden (Patriot) 42 times
Parsons' rookie season achievements have been incredible, with 9.5 tackles in six games and six consecutive tackles in six straight games, the league's rookie record for six bad games. He is one of only five players this season to have both 13 tackles and three losses, along with Watt, Quinn, Bossa and Hendrickson. Parsons has the second-highest defensive pressure rate in the league (21.6 percent), behind devin White (25.9 percent). He ranks fourth in the NFL with 10.3 percent of his cut-off efficiency, behind Denzel Peremann, Nick Bolton and Layton Van der Esch.
Parsons' strength is that he can play almost any defensive position, playing 454 block linebackers this season, lining up on defensive fronts 347 times, in addition to playing 25 cornerbacks and 1 guard, making him one of the most technically well-rounded players in the NFL. Prior to that, the Cowboys defensive group made mistakes in the tenth place in the league, and his arrival made the Cowboys the number one in the league.
He is also the first rookie to complete the feat among only eight players in league history to complete 13 tackles, 75 tackles, 3 losses and three pass breaks. If Parsons adds another quarterback this year to 30, he will be the only player on the roster to do so, like J.J. Watt.
Harvey Martin is the only player in Cowboys history to win Defensive Player of the Year (1977). As for Parsons' impact on the Cowboys defense, he could hit the award in 7 weeks.
(Great White)