NFL mock draft: Miami Dolphins select LB Micah Parsons

Admit it. You got a little sense of dread when you saw that the Miami Dolphins had traded out of the top 10 in the draft, but then immediately jumped back into it with the sixth overall pick—the selection just before the Detroit Lions.

The Lions will still have their choice of talented players when they’re on the clock at seven, but there’s that nagging feeling that whoever the Dolphins take at six, that’s the guy who would have finally turned the Lions’ fortune in the right direction.

In our Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, jjones164 holds the Lions’ fate in his hands as acting general manager of the Miami Dolphins. Before we get to his pick, here’s how the board has fallen thus far.

POD Community Mock Draft picks so far:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
3. San Francisco 49ers: Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota
4. Atlanta Falcons: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
5. Cincinnati Bengals: Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern

With the sixth pick in the POD Community Mock, the Miami Dolphins are selecting Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

Here’s jjones164 with the explanation:

Many were surprised when Miami traded away one of their future firsts to jump back into the top 10. For Lions fans, the top question was, “why one spot ahead of us?” After reading several Miami links, I have their top needs as center, edge, linebacker, running back, wide receiver, and potentially offensive tackle (pending Austin Jackson’s development). There’s no talent worthy of No. 6 at edge, center, or running back. With the top two tackles going fourth and fifth overall, and the insane depth at receiver this year, the Miami Dolphins land their jack-of-all-trades linebacker, Micah Parsons.

The current starting/top rotational LB’s project as Jerome Baker, Benardrick McKinney, Elandon Roberts, Vince Biegel, and Andrew Van Ginkel. The Dolphins have some linebackers that can cover, some that can rush, some that are good against the run, but only one or two that can be considered solid at all aspects. Furthermore, Baker, Roberts, and Biegel are all set to become free agents next offseason. Parsons fits everything Miami needs at linebacker, both immediately and for the future.

Parsons wowed at his pro day, as expected, with his 4.39 40-yard dash, while measuring at 6-foot-3, 246 pounds, 31 1/4-inch arms, and 11-inch hands. The pro day was especially important this year after Parsons opted out of the 2020 season. Looking back at his tape, his athleticism matches his play and helped him accrue 109 total tackles, 5.0 sacks, five passes defended, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 2019. He’s not a one-year wonder either, having accrued 82 total tackles with two forced fumbles and 1.5 sacks in 2018 as well.

There will be talk of Parsons falling down the draft boards due to allegations made against three PSU players, and himself, in 2018. There will also be speculation about the “value” of taking an off-ball linebacker so high. Parsons is a potential immediate game-changer with his size, athleticism, and productivity. When you hold four of the first 50 picks, you can jump a team like Detroit to take the top linebacker while still landing starting-caliber players later at WR, RB, and OT in this draft.

Erik Schlitt’s thoughts:

Jjones164 makes a very compelling case for why the Dolphins should take Parsons, and quite honestly, I agree that it would be a perfect marriage of player and scheme. But what’s unclear is, would they need to use pick No. 6 to grab him, or might he still be on the board when they pick again at No. 18 because of those character concerns?

The character concerns are very real but, because we are not privy to his explanation of what happened, it’s hard to estimate the depth of how they will impact his draft status. Some teams will be satisfied and keep him ranked as is, some could ding him a bit, while others could go as far as to remove him from their boards completely.

For now, if we don’t factor in the character concerns and judge him off talent alone, the question becomes, is he the reason the Dolphins felt like they needed to be in the top 6?

It very well could be for Parsons. But it could also be because they want an elite pass catcher. It’s very much a pick your favorite flavor between Kyle Pitts, Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, and DeVonta Smith, who are all available in this scenario.

It could really go either way, so it’s hard to fault jjones164 logic here. And now I’m really intrigued with what jjones164 does with the No. 18 pick.