As we await the NFL draft this week, there continue to be reports about off-the-field concerns with former Penn State star linebacker Micah Parsons. He’s projected to be a first-round pick and could go in the top 10, but some have dropped him a bit in their mock drafts because of off-field questions.
This is what ESPN’s Todd McShay said about Parsons on the First Draft podcast, in a story from 247Sports:
“Micah Parsons has fallen,” McShay said. “Micah Parsons is the best defensive player in this draft based solely on tape, but he’s got some off-the-field issues, some past character stuff and some things that teams are concerned about in terms of bringing things in. So he’s going to fall a little bit but, again, I think he’s going to be a star in the league.”
That seems to be the thinking among a lot of people: That Parsons has some issues off the field to be concerned about, but he’s still expected to be a great NFL player.
The question of how far Parsons will fall will be answered in a couple of days.
Here’s what Parsons said on PSU’s Pro Day about questions concerning his character and any off-field issues:
“LaVar (Arrington) did vouch for my character. Obviously, people have concerns about things that came up. But at the end of the day, I believe that I was a kid, I was 17, 18. We all made mistakes when we were 17, 18. I’m not gonna let it control and dictate the person I am now. I’m not gonna let something that was three or four years from now dictate who I’m becoming and the father I want to be.
“Everyone’s gonna learn and grow. I’m pretty sure none of you are making the same mistakes when ya’ll were 17 or 18 or even 25. If someone’s gonna judge me over that, then I’d rather not be in their program. I know the type of person I’m becoming, I know the type of father I’m becoming, and that’s all that matters to me.
“So, anybody who’s willing to accept my wrongs when I was wrong and accept my rights when I’m right, I’m ready to go in and give them my all. But if it’s gonna come down to something I did in high school or something that I wish I could change, I can only control what I can control and what I do forward, so that’s how I feel about it.”
After Parsons, defensive end Jayson Oweh and tight end Pat Freiermuth, which other Penn State players can expect to be selected in the draft?
We discuss all of that on this podcast with Thomas Frank Carr from BlueWhite Illustrated on “Sports Central with Cory Giger” on WRTA in Altoona.
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