To nobody’s surprise, Micah Parsons is going to the Pro Bowl.
In his rookie season, the former Nittany Lion has already established himself as one of the NFL’s best defensive players, with his 12 sacks ranking seventh in the league and his 17 tackles for loss tied for second. So as the Pro Bowl rosters rolled in Wednesday night, it’s not likely anybody did a double-take upon seeing Parsons’ name on the list.
Getting into more advanced statistics, Parsons is the league’s highest-graded linebacker by Pro Football Focus, with an 83.3 overall grade. He also has a pass-rushing mark of 92.7, which is higher than the next closest defender by more than 17 points.
Parsons is the clear favorite to take home NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Honors and, at +350, is tied with Cleveland’s Myles Garrett for the second-highest odds behind Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt to win Defensive Player of the Year, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
