Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1378330
As Micah Parsons headed out of AT&T Stadium following Penn State's 53-39 victory over Memphis in the 2019 Cot- ton Bowl, the buzz was already starting to build. The consensus All-American had been nothing short of spectacular against the Tigers, totaling 14 tackles, including three tackles for loss and two sacks, while also forcing a pair of fumbles and breaking up two passes. He claimed defensive MVP honors, and in so doing he seemingly set the stage for the rest of his career: Parsons would play one more season at Penn State and would probably domi- nate that, too. Then he would enter the NFL Draft as one of the nation's elite de- fensive prospects, a surefire first- rounder. The only question was where his pro career would take him. Now we know: It's going to take him back to AT&T Stadium. Par- sons is set to begin his pro career in the same place where his college career ended, a bit of symmetry made possi- ble by the Dallas Cow- boys, who selected him on April 29 with the 12th overall pick, and also by the pandemic, which prompted him to sit out his junior season while preparing for the draft. As he made clear after his selection, Parsons sees his performance against Memphis as indicative of what he can do at the NFL level. "I want to finish what I started" in the Cotton Bowl, he said. "I fell in love with that stadium." Parsons was the third defensive player taken in the draft, trailing a pair of cor- nerbacks – South Carolina's Jaycee Horn and Alabama's Pat Surtain II – who were taken by Carolina and Denver, respec- EARLY RISER Chosen by the Cowboys with the 12th pick, Parsons became the sec- ond PSU player of the Franklin era to be selected in the first round. Photo by Jared Wicker- ham/ESPN Im- ages NEWS & NOTES F O O T B A L L Parsons headlines Penn State's draft contingent |