'I Accomplished Almost All of 'Em': Micah Parsons Reveals Next Cowboys Goals

Penn State is known for its players transitioning smoothly to the NFL, but why?

FRISCO - It's clear that Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons was ready. Not only was he ready for the jump from the Big Ten to the NFL, but he was also ready to be noticed, to dominate. Few were surprised when set out to be one of the best, and accomplished that in just his first year in the league, winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

But not all goals were accomplished for Parsons and he's already looking ahead to 2022.

Parsons sat down with CBS Sports to talk about his first impression of NFL quarterbacks, where he and the Cowboys can get better, and if he accomplished all his goals in 2021.

“I wanted to complete the year healthy and help the Cowboys to the playoffs,” Parsons said when asked about his goals for 2021. “I wanted to help take the Cowboys to the Super Bowl and become a leader on the team. I accomplished almost all of them.”

Parsons discussed growing up in central Pennsylvania and not having any allegiance to regional teams like the Steelers or Eagles, but still looking up to players around the league.

“When I was coming out, Devin White was setting the standard. You look at Luke (Kuechly) setting the standard for linebackers before he retired,” P{arsons reflected. “You’re looking at players that played the position at an elite level and are fast like Bobby (Wagner). Those fast, make-a-lot-of-plays linebackers were who I was looking at.”

Parsons is just one more of a long line of Penn State Nittany Lions to smoothly transition to the NFL and make an immediate impact at the pro level. He was asked what makes Penn State so special when it comes to preparing players for the NFL.

“They’re structured and disciplined. I was so prepared because of coach (James) Franklin,” Parsons said. “He made sure you ... paid attention to detail — basically coached you to be a pro. He could easily be an NFL coach. His whole program was designed for you to prepare for the next level, whether it’s on the field or off the field.”

Now that Penn State boasts a recent NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in Parsons, and an Offensive Rookie of the Year in Giants running back Saquon Barkley, Franklin and Penn State have just two more points to emphasize during recruiting. ... while Micah has a few more goals to strive toward.