Despite Micah Parsons, Does Cowboys NFL Draft Class Rank Outside Top 10?
The Dallas Cowboys may have had 11 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, but no disrespect to the other 10 players, this was always be remembered as Micah Parsons' draft.
Surely a shoo-in for Defensive Rookie of the Year and potentially Defensive Player of the Year, Parsons is an all-around weapon the likes of who come along once in a blue moon. And thanks to him, the Cowboys' draft class has been ranked 12th-best in the NFL by ESPN.
Says ESPN:
Why they're ranked here: Micah Parsons had a Defensive Player of the Year kind of season. He's the type of hybrid player capable of moving between the defensive line as an elite pass-rusher or dropping into coverage as an off-ball linebacker at a high level. Osa Odighizuwa had 37 pressures on the defensive line, the second-most among rookies on the interior. - ESPN+
Parsons finished the year with 13 sacks, three defended passes, three forced fumbles, 30 quarterback hits and 84 tackles.
Tim Heitman/USA Today Sports
Described by ESPN as a "devastating" pass rusher, the fact the Cowboys got Parsons outside of the top 10 seems - with the power of hindsight - unthinkable.
Best value pick: It's crazy to say given how high he was drafted, but Parsons was still an absolute steal as the 12th overall pick in the draft, providing the kind of value that only the best defensive players in the game -- at any position -- provide.
So why isn't this class ranked higher?
It could be argued that given the number of picks the Cowboys had at their disposal, the return on investment outside of Parsons and Odighizuwa was relatively meager - but again, this is purely conjecture.
Not only that, but it seems a safe bet to say that, as interesting as "rankings'' are, no Cowboys fan really cares too much where they're ranked or how well the rest of the class did.
And why not? Because this was Parsons' draft.
