DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - When the Dallas Cowboys pick Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons with their first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, many wondered if his selection could mean the eventual end of Leighton Vander Esch with the Cowboys.
On Friday, that speculation took another turn, when Parsons opened up his the Cowboys first rookie minicamp working at the MIKE linebacker spot -- the spot that Leighton Vander Esch currently holds on the roster.
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"Right now I'm at MIKE linebacker," said Parsons in a visit with DallasCowboys.com. "Looking at the playbook, this is a position for me to go sideline to sideline and make a lot of plays and really stop that run."
Stopping the run was an area in which Dallas struggled mightily in 2020, but it is also an area of need in which Parsons should, at least theoretically, excel during his rookie season if given the opportunity.
"Playing Mike linebacker obviously (weakside) and Mike is just alike," Parsons said. "I’m just coordinating and being a dominant force. They wouldn’t put me there if they didn’t have a need at Mike."
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Parsons is just one of eight players selected on the defensive side of the ball to help fill those needs, alongside Kelvin Joseph, Osa Odighizuwa, Chauncey Golston, Nahshon Wright, Jabril Cox, Quinton Bohanna, and Israel Mukuamu.
A rookie class that, according to Parsons, should have unprecedented participation, beginning with himself at the MIKE linebacker spot.
“I think this a special (rookie) class," Parsons said. "I think we’re really gonna impact this team. I think this team has a chance to do great things.”