The football gods laugh at your best laid plans.
Micah Parsons' breakout rookie season came courtesy of the break of DeMarcus Lawrence's foot — while Parsons has made his name as one of the NFL's elite pass rushers in just two seasons, that wasn't always the plan.
In fact, uncertainty over what position he would play in the NFL made some teams question if he would be worth a high first-round pick. That didn't matter much to the Cowboys, who opted to spend their No. 12 pick — originally No. 10 overall — to draft the gamebreaking pass rusher.
MORE: Why Micah Parsons, DeVonta Smith will always be linked in NFL history
Here's how Parsons made it out of the top 10 in 2021, and how he ended up as Dallas' next big star.
Micah Parsons scouting report
There was no denying that Parsons had the physical attributes to play at the next level, but there were questions of where, exactly, he would play on defense.
Parsons was seldom used as a pass rusher at Penn State, notching 6 1/2 sacks over 26 games played. That said, Parsons was a five-star recruit as an outside linebacker, receiving offers from Penn State, Alabama, Florida, Baylor and Clemson, among others.
Some scouting reports pegged Parsons to play at middle linebacker in the NFL, and his rookie season was a tremendous experiment that largely was successful: He split a lot of time between linebacker and edge, eventually sticking at edge and putting together a 13-sack rookie year and first-team All-Pro nod for his efforts.
In 2022, Parsons has played — and dominated — predominantly at edge, leading to teams wondering why they passed on him in the first place.
Here's why:
2021 NFL Draft
In all, 11 players were selected ahead of Micah Parsons in the 2021 NFL Draft — with two NFC East opponents even opting to pass on him.
Here's who went ahead of him, and why.
No. 1, QB Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars: This was a no-brainer pick for the Jags at the top of the board — Lawrence was a "generational" talent at the position, so not much to think about for a franchise who's needed a franchise passer for almost the entirety of their existence.
No. 2, QB Zach Wilson, Jets: This is a selection that hasn't worked out for the Jets to this point, but they needed a quarterback after moving on from Sam Darnold, and Wilson was highly touted coming out of BYU.
No. 3, QB Trey Lance, 49ers: The 49ers wheeling-and-dealing prior to the start of the NFL Draft meant they were moving up for a passer, but there were still questions of who. Ultimately, they took Lance out of NDSU, but the start of his 49ers career has been inauspicious. He redshirted his rookie season, and suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 1 this year.
No. 4, TE Kyle Pitts, Falcons: Pitts was considered by some to be the best overall player in the 2021 draft. His physical traits coupled with his gamebreaking talent led to him being the highest-selected tight end in NFL history.
No. 5, WR Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals: The Bengals had a tough decision to make. Select a wide receiver who Joe Burrow has lots of familiarity with, or select an offensive lineman to protect the franchise? Ultimately, they took Chase, who was the best receiving talent in the draft.
No. 6, WR Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins: Much like the Bengals and the Burrow-Chase connection, the Dolphins opted to bring in Jaylen Waddle, who had some prior history with Tua Tagovailoa while in college. Waddle has turned into one of the NFL's most productive wideouts in a short time.
No. 7, OT Penei Sewell, Lions: Sewell was the best overall offensive line prospect in the draft, and some thought the top player, as well. The Lions decided to add to an already promising offensive line with Sewell.
No. 8, CB Jaycee Horn, Panthers: There was some question of who was the best CB player in the draft. There's still some debate over who's better between Horn and Patrick Surtain II. The Panthers, though, opted to take Horn here, and after an injury in his rookie year, Horn has bounced back well in Year 2.
No. 9, CB Patrick Surtain II, Broncos: With Horn off the board, the Broncos — already set at edge rush with Von Miller and Bradley Chubb — opted to take Surtain here. Surtain had a great rookie season, already cementing himself as a top-tier corner.
No. 10, WR DeVonta Smith, Eagles: This is where things get interesting. The Eagles and Cowboys swapped picks, with the Cowboys sending Philadelphia the No. 10 overall pick, where Philly would take Smith. Smith put together a promising rookie season, playing towards his Heisman Trophy-winning standard.
No. 11, QB Justin Fields, Bears: The Giants were originally in this slot, but opted to trade back with the Bears, who would select Fields in this spot. New York, who would drop down to the No. 20 pick in the trade, would select wide receiver Kadarius Toney who … is not with the team any longer.
Here's the total rundown of the first round in 2021:
| Round | Pick | Team | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson |
| 1 | 2 | New York Jets | Zach Wilson, QB, BYU |
| 1 | 3 | San Francisco 49ers from Dolphins through Texans | Trey Lance, QB, NDSU |
| 1 | 4 | Atlanta Falcons | Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida |
| 1 | 5 | Cincinnati Bengals | Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU |
| 1 | 6 | Miami Dolphins from Eagles | Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama |
| 1 | 7 | Detroit Lions | Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon |
| 1 | 8 | Carolina Panthers | Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina |
| 1 | 9 | Denver Broncos | Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama |
| 1 | 10 | Philadelphia Eagles from Cowboys | DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama |
| 1 | 11 | Chicago Bears from Giants | Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State |
| 1 | 12 | Dallas Cowboys from 49ers through Eagles, Dolphins | Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State |
| 1 | 13 | Los Angeles Chargers | Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern |
| 1 | 14 | New York Jets from Vikings | Alijah Vera-Tucker, G, USC |
| 1 | 15 | New England Patriots | Mac Jones, QB, Alabama |
| 1 | 16 | Arizona Cardinals | Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa |
| 1 | 17 | Las Vegas Raiders | Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama |
| 1 | 18 | Miami Dolphins | Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami |
| 1 | 19 | Washington Football Team | Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky |
| 1 | 20 | New York Giants from Bears | Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida |
| 1 | 21 | Indianapolis Colts | Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan |
| 1 | 22 | Tennessee Titans | Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech |
| 1 | 23 | Minnesota Vikings from Seahawks through Jets | Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech |
| 1 | 24 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Najee Harris, RB, Alabama |
| 1 | 25 | Jacksonville Jaguars from Rams | Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson |
| 1 | 26 | Cleveland Browns | Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern |
| 1 | 27 | Baltimore Ravens | Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota |
| 1 | 28 | New Orleans Saints | Payton Turner, DE, Houston |
| 1 | 29 | Green Bay Packers | Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia |
| 1 | 30 | Buffalo Bills | Gregory Rousseau, EDGE, Miami |
| 1 | 31 | Baltimore Ravens from Chiefs | Jayson Oweh, EDGE, Penn State |
| 1 | 32 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Joe Tryon, EDGE, Washington |