After playing just one season in the NFL, former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons has already cemented himself as one of the league’s best.

On Sunday evening, Parsons came in at No. 16 on the NFL Network Top 100 player rankings following his record-breaking rookie campaign for the Dallas Cowboys.

Parsons made an immediate impact during his rookie season in Dallas, recording 84 tackles and 13 sacks en route to being named the unanimous Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press.

In Happy Valley, the linebacker racked up several accolades during his short tenure as a Nittany Lion. Across just two seasons, the Harrisburg native earned a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2019 and also nabbed Defensive MVP honors in the 2019 Cotton Bowl. 

After opting out of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Parsons was selected No. 12 overall by the Cowboys in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Parsons is the only Nittany Lion to make this year’s list. Last season, Chris Godwin (No. 81) and Allen Robinson (No. 87) represented Happy Valley in the rankings.

About the Author

Adam Babetski

Adam Babetski is a senior double majoring in broadcast journalism and medieval history and is one of Onward State's associate editors. He's from the only part of Virginia without tractors and southern accents, except Richmond (reportedly). You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBabetski for hot takes about sports. For serious inquiries, email aqb6023@psu.edu.

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