Micah Parsons was selected 12th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2021 NFL entry draft. This incredibly dynamic linebacker is known for his athletic ability but how fast was he able to run the forty-yard dash?
Micah Parsons ran an unofficial forty-yard dash of 4.39 seconds at the 2021 Penn State pro day. This is an incredibly impressive 40-yard dash time, especially considering the fact that Parsons is six foot three inches and weighs just under two hundred and fifty pounds.
For comparison’s sake, you can check out Najee Harris or Derrick Henry’s 40 times.
It is important to remember that Micah Parsons 40 time is unofficial. In order to have an official 40-time players need to attend the NFL combine and complete the drill there.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 NFL combine was cancelled.
This cancellation meant that players were not able to participate in the combine drills and instead had to do so at their college’s pro day.
The reason that the combine has official 40 times is due to the way they time this event. The combine uses lasers that start the clock as the player passes through and stop the clock when they finish.
This results in a much more accurate timing than you would see at a college pro days.
Pro days typically involve scouts and assistants hand timing the events. Though this relatively accurate human error can sway the results.
A few milliseconds can greatly change the quality of a 40 time which is why official 40 times are considered much more accurate.
Pre Draft Strengths And Weaknesses
Like all prospects, Micah Parsons have several projected strengths and weaknesses regarding his game coming out of college.
Now that he has entered the NFL it can be interesting to look back at these pre-draft takes and see how accurate they are.
Pre Draft Strengths
“Elite range with burst/speed rarely seen at linebacker”
Micah Parsons looked incredibly fast at the college level but would that speed carry over to the NFL?
The answer is yes despite the players around him being faster Parsons was still one of the fastest defensive players in the league and likely the fastest for his size.
His burst and speed allowed him to make plays that no other linebackers could.
“Able to bend and flatten to quarterback as edge rusher”
This pre-draft take turned out much more accurate than the other thought as parsons made the switch to being an edge defender early on in the season.
Parsons started playing the defensive end position once the Cowboys began to face some injury issues on the defensive line.
What followed was a thirteen sack rookie season for Parsons, quite the accomplishment for someone playing out of position.
Pre Draft Weaknesses
“Runs himself out of position with unnecessary early charges”
Though Parsons possesses great speed it can sometimes get him out of position. Often times as a pass rusher Parsons would attempt to use his speed to get around the outside of the tackle.
If the tackle was able to puss him further up the field he would often find himself well past the quarterback and out of the play.
“Needs to prove ability to find solo tackles.”
In college, Parsons struggled on some occasions to bring down players on his own. By the end of his rookie season, Parsons had accumulated sixty-four solo tackles as well as thirteen sacks.
Though it is not his main strength Parsons solo tackling has improved at the NFL level.
That’s all on Micah Parson’s combine workouts to learn more about other players see our articles on Zack Wilson or Kyler Murray’s 40 yard dash.
