‘Freaking awesome.’ NFL draftee Micah Parsons on first 24 hours with Dallas Cowboys
How would you feel if your greatest dream became a reality, and then it was even better than you could have ever imagined?
Let’s ask Micah Parsons.
“It’s pretty freaking awesome,” Parsons said Friday, one day after being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with the 12th overall pick in 2021 NFL Draft.
Hours after the selection, Parsons and his family were whisked off from the site of the draft in Cleveland to the Cowboys’ headquarters in Frisco. First by team owner Jerry Jones’ private jet and then via the team’s luxury bus from the airport.
“Just think if you were 21 years old and you just met Jerry Jones. It’s awesome. We’ve all just really taken it in. I don’t think any of us have sat down and was like, ‘This is crazy.’ I don’t think we really ever talked about it yet, but I can tell by my dad’s facial expressions and my mom’s expressions. It’s pretty priceless, I would say.”
It was a whirlwind 24 hours for Parsons and his family, who returned to their home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday for his son Malcolm’s third birthday party.
Jones was pretty happy with the quick visit as well.
“It was all conditional upon if we could get this thing done, get him back and get him back over there to celebrate his son’s third birthday,” Jones said. “We’ve got to make sure that we get that done here.”
“But we talked [Thursday night] about our selection of Micah with our first-round pick. We’ve all had a chance to feel it and sleep on it. It felt good. I slept like a baby.”
The comfort and ease of the pick and the budding relationship was most evident at the end of the press conference when the Cowboys owner found himself holding the sleeping Malcolm during a group picture with the Parsons family.
Parsons himself has been openly talking about making Dallas his home for a long time. His dad Terrence is a Cowboys fan from way back and raised Micah rooting for America’s Team.
He came to The Star in Frisco a few years ago for a high school scouting camp, The Opening. And he played at AT&T Stadium in the Cotton Bowl in his final college football game in 2019.
“I was going to make this my home, regardless,” Parsons said. “It does feel like home. This is where I wanted to be. I wanted to play here; I wanted to be in this blue and white until I die. It felt like home when I was here for the Cotton Bowl, and it felt like home when I was here for The Opening. When I came through the halls earlier, it felt like home again. I’m really excited.”
It’s also going to become home for the majority of the Parsons family as his mom, brother and sister plan to move to Dallas this summer to be near him. His dad plans to stay in Harrisburg.
“I gotta make sure no one has my address,” Parsons joked. “I’ll text them or meet them at a local restaurant.”
The family bond immediately struck a chord with Jones, who after holding the baby found himself fielding questions from Parsons’ brother about getting a ride on his super yacht.
“I can see that there’s a lot of serious love and a lot of connection with his family. There is energy here. Obviously, it’s a tremendous day and a tremendous time for him and them. I sure do see a great family here ... I saw it immediately. I like that.”
What Jones and the Cowboys like most is what Parsons brings to the Cowboys defense.
Jones called him a freakish athlete who has the right aggressive mentality to be an immediate impact player.
Coach Mike McCarthy says he can play all three linebacker positions and may be the best pure pass rusher in the draft.
He and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn are already planning packages for him.
Parsons said Quinn talked about sending him on a lot of blitzes as well as covering back and tight ends in his initial meeting with the coaching staff Friday.
But what did Parsons say he does best?
“Just play football,” Parsons said. “I feel like I am instinctual. I play with a lot of effort. That’s what I think I do best. I’m always trying to get to the ball. I’m like a ballhawk. See ball, get ball. Waterboy type.”
Parsons calls himself an intense competitor who doesn’t like to lose at anything, that includes chess and bowling.
The owner of eight different bowling bowls, he fancies himself as an expert bowler now. The passion began after a loss to a childhood friend.
Parsons is bringing that same fiery attitude to the Cowboys. He is not setting his goals small and wants to achieve great things.
“I want to be a big-time football player for the Cowboys,” Parsons said. “I want to be one of the [best] big-time players to ever come through the NFL. This is the beginning of the journey, and it is going to be a great start for me to be in this organization.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 9:01 PM.
