The Las Vegas Raiders need defensive playmakers and reports suggest they won’t pass up Micah Parsons if he is available at pick 17.
The Las Vegas Raiders have several needs on the roster, the most glaring of which are a starting caliber right tackle and some help in the defensive backfield. They also need playmakers on defense, and they are reportedly eyeing former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons if he is still available when the Raiders are on the clock at pick 17.
Parsons is an athletic freak who posted a 4.39 second 40 and a 39-inch vertical leap while measuring in at 6-3, 235lbs at Penn State’s pro day in March. He is not just a workout warrior though as his tremendous production in two years with the Nittany Lions speaks for itself.
Parsons opted out of the 2020 season but he accounted for 191 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and 6 forced fumbles from 2018-19. He was one of the best defensive players in the country in 2019 and was on track for a repeat performance before COVID-19 cut his college career short.
The Raiders are in desperate need of someone who can make a splash play on defense and that is one of Parsons’ specialties as he routinely came up with big stops in the biggest games. Many mock drafts have Parsons slipping to the back half of the first round due to some “character concerns” around his behavior at Penn State but if he proves he has matured he could definitely be worth the risk.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Hondo Carpenter, the Raiders have Parsons circled as a potential pick at 17 and the reasoning is sound. Carpenter said on the Pritch and Clay radio show, as quoted by Raiders Beat:
"“Talking to people who are familiar with the process, I keep hearing they love Micah Parsons,. That’s a linebacker out of Penn State who is an absolute beast. Now I think there are some defensive backs [the Raiders] really like and some offensive linemen. But I’m telling you, I keep hearing if Micah Parsons falls, nobody in the NFL believes he gets past the Raiders and the biggest question is if he falls that far.”Source: RaidersBeat.com"
The Raiders have not had a dominant defensive player since Khalil Mack and with all of the other pieces sliding in to place on defense, bringing in a guy like Parsons could have an immediate impact. The team invested heavily in the linebacker position last year but the Nick Kwaitkoski contract has an easy out after 2021 and Nicholas Morrow only signed a one-year deal so replacing either one with Parsons is an option.
Even if Parsons’s immediate impact comes as an edge rusher and rotational linebacker he has the potential to develop into an All-Pro level talent with his talent and athleticism. The Raiders may not have the luxury of drafting the best player available over need because they want to contend immediately but Micah Parsons has all the makings of an impact player from day one and impact players win games.