Micah Parsons began dreaming of coming to Dallas Cowboys at Cotton Bowl in 2019
Last December, Micah Parsons posted a picture from a practice work out before his last game as a college football player.
The former Penn State star linebacker opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns about COVID-19 so his last game was in the Cotton Bowl against Memphis at AT&T Stadium following the 2019 season.
His tweet simply said, “I hope to stay in that blue and white.” He later posted another practice picture from AT&T Stadium on Instagram with the caption, “I hope to start where I finished.”
His dream became a reality Thursday night when the Dallas Cowboys made him the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Cowboys went into the draft hoping to pick a cornerback with the 10th overall selection because that was their biggest need.
But when their top two targets — South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn and Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II — went eighth and ninth to the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos, the Cowboys traded back two spots and took Parsons.
No one was happier with how things turned out than Parsons, who after jumped into the arms of Roger Goodell Thursday night after the NFL commissioner made the announcement on stage in Cleveland.
“I was surprised a little bit,” Parsons said. “Everything happens for a reason. I put it out to the world last year that I wanted to be a Cowboy. I’m just blessed my dream came true.”
Parsons met with the Cowboys just once in the pre-draft process, but dating back to the Cotton Bowl game against Memphis, he said coming to the Cowboys was meant to be.
He was named the MVP of the 2010 Cotton Bowl after recording 14 tackles (three for a loss), two sacks, and two forced fumbles, putting on a show that the Cowboys hope to see him repeat in the years to come.
“I wanted to finish what I started,” Parsons said of his Cowboys premonitions after the Cotton Bowl. “I had a great game. I fell in love with that stadium. I fell in love with everything they had to offer in Dallas. I also knew what [team owner] Jerry Jones was about. He wants to win, and he got a winner.”
The Cowboys got a winner, and playmaker in Parsons.
But the 21-year-old did have some pre-draft character concerns that the Cowboys had to investigate because he had faced hazing allegations earlier in his time at Penn State.
“We did a tremendous amount of homework,” Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said. “We felt good about it, backwards, forwards and every which way he can do it.”
Parsons said he was upfront with the Cowboys and all the teams that questioned him about the incident. No charges were ever filed.
“I think I’m a great person, and I’m going to keep becoming a better father and person every day, not only for myself, but for my entire family,” Parsons said. “And Cowboys nation, now I got to represent them every day, too.”
But did he worry if the allegations would impact his draft status?
“Concerned? No. You only get concerned if it’s true,” Parsons said. “I knew it was false, and if I were to fall it’s because God wanted me to fall. I believe everything happens for a reason. I’m here for a reason. I put it in the air, and I spoke this into existence. Now, I got a great opportunity to do something great here.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 9:36 AM.
