In 1981, New York Giants rookie Lawrence Taylor became — and still is — the only rookie to win the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award. And if you don’t know why that’s a noteworthy factoid to bring up right now, you probably haven’t been paying close attention to the league this season.
Let’s fill you in, then: 14 games. 12 sacks. 17 tackles for loss. 27 quarterback hits. Three forced fumbles. Three passes defended. 76 total tackles. An 83.3 defensive grade on Pro Football Focus, higher than any other linebacker in the game. A 92.7 pass rushing grade, second only to Myles Garrett, though he was tops in the league as recently as last week.
The reason for all this chatter about Lawrence Taylor and the players whose stats you see above is, of course, Micah Parsons.
The Cowboys rookie has not only completely run away with the Defensive Rookie of the Year award race, but he has a legitimate argument for Defensive Player of the Year honors as well. On DraftKings Sportsbook, he’s currently second in the race (+300), trailing T.J. Watt (+175) and just ahead of Garrett (+400). Aaron Donald (+800) and teammate Trevon Diggs (+1000) round out the top five.
But if you ask three-time Pro Bowler and longtime NFC East presence LaVar Arrington, Parsons is better than everyone else on the defensive side of the ball — even Garrett.
“Come on. Come on man. Myles Garrett?” Arrington said with skepticism after “About The Game” podcast host Orlando Scandrick said the Browns defensive end was the best in the league. “Of course (it’s Parsons)...
“Micah is such an explosive dude… Micah’s ability to impact the game from middle, weak, strong, D-end or even interior line is what separates him from T.J. Watt. It separates him from DeMarcus Ware.”
And then, the inevitable comparison was made — one that Parsons himself could not even accept in a display of true humility and respect for one of the game’s greatest.
“...Lawrence Taylor was the last time we saw a kid play the way that Micah Parsons is playing,” Arrington said. “I’m just saying, if we’ve got to look down at these players and who’s impacting their team the most, in the most impactful way, in the most ways. He’s good enough to be Rookie of the Year as just a linebacker. He’s good enough to be Rookie of the Year as just a pass-rushing whatever-you-want-to-call-him.
“...He’s not just in the discussion (for Defensive Player of the Year).”
To Arrington, and many others, he should be the front-runner. With a big game against Washington in Week 16 — a team that he beat for a pair of sacks in their first meeting, and who is very susceptible to mistakes on the offensive side of the ball — he could improve his stock even further. And should he surge ahead in the race, perhaps it’s not all that crazy to make a Taylor-esque comparison this early on.
LT wasn't the only player that came to Arrington's mind when discussing Parsons' build and skill set. Another of the game's all-time great linebackers shared a trait with Parsons that Arrington detailed on the podcast.
"So his background is running back and D-end. But what people don't realize is that he was a wrestler," Arrington said. "He wrestled... Ray Lewis wrestled. You see dudes who know how to slip blocks, get off blocks, and they had this uncanny ability to engage and then disengage — it's generally due to (the fact that) they have wrestled."
Lawrence Taylor and Ray Lewis comparisons in the debut year of an NFL career? Can't get off to a much better start than that.
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