Micah Parsons pulling away in Defensive Rookie Player of the Year odds

The NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award is a prestigious accomplishment reserved for just a single player across the NFL who has made a significant impact in a sport that provides little forgiveness for slow learners.

The history of the award is littered with some of the game’s greatest defenders, including players like Aaron Donald, Nick Bosa, Joey Bosa, Darius Leonard, Luke Kuechly, Von Miller, and Terrell Suggs.

In 2021, the clear favorite to win the award is Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons.

Parsons a versatile asset on defense

The Penn State product is an elite athlete, and his career flight path could have been predicted, given his 5-star rating coming out of high school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

He currently sits at even money to win the award. Those odds have decreased since last week (+120), thanks to his excellent play in Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Parsons is 6’3", 245 pounds, and with both size and strength, he has proven capable of traditional linebacker duties, as well as more defensive end-oriented edge-rushing.

As the Cowboys struggle to sack quarterbacks, the dynamic young talent is being used increasingly near the line of scrimmage. In the Cowboys’ most recent game against the Vikings, this paid off with Parsons recording four tackles for loss.

Parsons has been a part of the Cowboys’ defensive plans from Day 1, as the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft earned a Week 1 start against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He recorded seven combined tackles and was on the field for 78% of the defensive snaps upon debut.

When Jaylon Smith was cut from the Cowboys’ roster, Parsons saw his playing time increase even more. After beginning the season playing 78%, 55%, and 64% of the defensive snaps, he has been utilized for 97%, 93%, 100%, and 97% of the snaps in Weeks 4 through 8.

The result is 42 tackles, 2.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 11 quarterback hits.

As Parsons continues to excel and the Cowboys defense utilizes his talents in ways that give him opportunities to stress opposing quarterbacks and play behind the line of scrimmage, his statistics will only increase. After averaging 4.3 tackles per game through the first three games, he is up to 7.3 over the last four.

Surtain offers value in DROY odds

When looking at the current odds, Parsons’ closest competitors to steal away the Defensive Rookie of the Year award are Jayson Oweh (+700), Asante Samuel Jr (+800), Jamin Davis (+1000), and Patrick Surtain II (+1000).

Surtain offers some appeal, as his talent and usage could see him make a series of excellent plays, but this is clearly Parsons’ to lose.

The Cowboys have a lot of momentum right now and as both a popular team and a winning one, they will continue to receive major audiences and attention.

With that attention will come recognition of the impact that Parsons is having, and his odds should only drift lower as he continues to accelerate his production.

Barring injury, Parsons clearly has pole position on the award, and all signs point to a very successful rookie year that culminates in the Defensive Rookie Player of the Year award.