Micah Parsons Has Spoken To Dan Campbell, Met with Lions

Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons addressed the media regarding questions about his off-the-field issues

The Detroit Lions continue to have needs all across the board on defense. 

The linebackers corps, arguably the position group that performed the worst in 2020, lost Reggie Ragland, Christian Jones and Jarrad Davis in free agency. 

This week, former Saints linebacker Alex Anzalone signed a one-year agreement to play in Detroit. 

The 26-year-old linebacker played in all 16 regular season games last season, recording 41 total tackles and three tackles for loss. 

One of the most talented draft prospects coming out of college is former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons. 

Speaking to the media following his pro day, Parsons addressed whether or not teams were asking about his issues off the field and which teams he has spoken to during the pre-draft process. 

"I talked to the Lions a couple of times," Parsons said when asked by SI All Lions if he met with Detroit. "I spoke with the coach again today. We had a great conversation. Honestly, I would be blessed to really go anywhere, but obviously playing on a team with Chris Spielman -- someone who could enhance my game -- would be terrific for me. Someone who I could learn and grow and push me to get better every day. That's all I need."

Concerns about off-the-field issues

The draft prospect has had to field questions from prospective teams regarding concerns they had regarding reports of off-the-field issues while he was at Penn State. 

The potential first-round pick expressed that he does not want actions that occurred when he was a "kid" to dictate his future and that he has learned from his mistakes. 

"Honestly, people have concerns about the things that came up. I believe that I was a kid, you know, age 17 or 18. We all made mistakes when we were 17 or 18. I'm not going to let it control or dictate the person I am now," Parsons explained. 

He added, "Everyone's going to learn and grow. I'm pretty sure none of you are making the same mistakes when y'all were 17 or 18, or even 25. If someone is going to judge you over that, I'd rather not be in their program. I know the type of person I'm becoming. I know the type of father I'm becoming. That's all that matters to me. Anyone that is willing to accept my wrongs when I was wrong and accept my rights when I'm right -- I'm ready to go in and give it my all. If it's going to come down to something that I did in high school, or something I wish I could change, then I can only control what I can control -- what I do going forward. That's how I feel about it."

More from SI All Lions:

NFC North Offseason Rankings

Lions Could Receive Four Compensatory Draft Picks in 2022

Did Brad Holmes Just Lower Value of No. 7 Pick?

Detroit Lions Restructure Quarterback Jared Goff's Contract

Lions Target Wide Receiver in Mel Kiper's Latest Mock Draft

Michael Brockers Apologizes to Jared Goff Over TMZ Comments