Micah Parsons showed in his preseason debut exactly why the Dallas Cowboys drafted him

The Cowboys rookie linebacker was on display in Canton.

If you had asked any Dallas Cowboys fan what they wanted to see before Thursday night’s Pro Football Hall of Fame game, one answer would have been for the team’s first-round pick to show signs of why the team took him so high.

So much of the team’s hope for the present and long-term future depends on Micah Parsons becoming an elite linebacker and overall defender. It is difficult to glean an enormous amount of who he is at the NFL level off of just one preseason game, but Thursday night was undoubtedly encouraging.

Check out our postgame episode of The Ocho on the Blogging The Boys podcast network where we discuss everything that happened on Thursday night. Make sure to subscribe to our podcast network wherever you get your podcast (Apple users can subscribe right here and Spotify users can subscribe right here). Don’t forget to leave a rating and write a review!

Parsons brings plenty of strength, speed, and overall athleticism to the NFL level. He was able to flex some of those muscles on Thursday night in the brief time that he was on the field, and he showed that he is certainly the quickest one in his position group. It is clear that he is going to have a significant role this season.

The box score will show that he was credited for a turnover as he got a fumble recovery, but truth be told he was simply in the right place at the right time when he recovered it on the defense’s first possession. It all still counts the same, though!

Parsosn noted after the game that he recovered a fumble during his first game in college as well so hopefully that is a good sign for his professional career. While he didn’t technically force the fumble, it is still great to see him around positive things while on defense, especially so early on.

To this point Parsons has done nothing but pass the football test. He shined during his first preseason game. Beyond the fumble recovery, he was the most active defender on the field during his short stint. He was credited with three tackles and his speed to the ball carrier was very evident. Being a rookie, he was sometimes guessing about which hole to cover on running plays and ended up in the wrong position, but that is something experience and coaching will smooth out.

There is no amount of coaching and experience that can make a player obtain the gifts that Parsons has naturally. The speed and athleticism for a man his size is rare. The Cowboys might have found a cornerstone on the defense.

He is now ready for more to be put on his plate.

Parsons is doing and saying all of the right things which is tremendously exciting. We will likely get to see more of him on Hard Knocks (which premieres next Tuesday) so hopefully what we do see continues to gel with what has happened so far.

We are merely one preseason game in, but so far, so good.