Broncos Draft: Micah Parsons is a Vic Fangio kind of pick

With just two days left until the 2021 NFL Draft, I am here to pound the table one more time for Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

The Broncos should be able to sit back in the No. 9 spot and allow a player to fall into their lap. That could easily be Parsons, who is the right pick to make. He could be a generational talent at linebacker (he’s that good).

Broncos head coach Vic Fangio has always been known for his defensive prowess and when you break that down further, his specialty for finding and coaching up great linebackers has always been evident.

The fit in Denver is an obvious one. Parsons is one of the most talented players in the entire draft and is a linebacker that a team could do so many things with, whether it be as an EDGE rusher or an inside linebacker. He’s all over the field, he can cover, blitz the quarterback and do everything in between.

There are few weaknesses in his game and under professional coaching, he could become the total package.

With his sideline-to-sideline speed and dynamic playmaking ability, having him on the same field as Von Miller, Bradley Chubb and Alexander Johnson is salivating. Fangio once had the “Dome Patrol” with the New Orleans Saints and they were incredible, but this group would have the ability to be mentioned in the same breath.

For those reasons, it’s hard to see how you can pass on a player like Parsons.

How big are the character concerns?

The one and only thing that will make teams shy away from Parsons is the incidents he has had off the field while at Penn State, most of which amount to some alleged hazing that went on with teammates. While those allegations are disturbing, it is likely that the Broncos have properly checked into these things and would not take him if there were any concerns about his character.

Looking back at the 1998 draft,  Randy Moss was the best wide receiver in that entire class by a lot. He would go on to be one of the best wide receivers in the history of pro football.

But entering that draft, he was tabbed as a player with off-field issues and potential character concerns. As a result, he slipped all the way to No. 21 in the first round and even teams needy of a wide receiver passed on him.

That was a big mistake.

At the end of the day in the NFL, you are looking for results. You’re looking for wins. The best path to success is getting the best player possible when you have a chance to do so. Some fans are going to throw around names like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah or Jamin Davis, but those players are not better than Parsons.

While both are talented, to take either over Parsons simply because of a potential image issue would be shortsighted. That is not to say that what Parsons may have done at one time is not an issue, but he is available in the draft, teams have likely done their homework on him and one of those teams needs to be willing to say we’re taking him anyway.

That is what the Minnesota Vikings did with Moss and that was a move that paid off for them in a big way.

This just seems like a player Fangio is not going to let get away because he’ll realize the value he will bring to an already solid (at least on paper) defense. Fangio knows he needs to win this season and he will push hard to get this pick, in my opinion.

The Broncos do not need to take a quarterback in the first round. That idea should be dropped at this point and the team should select the best player on the board and if he is still there at No. 9, that player is Micah Parsons.

Let’s make it happen, George Paton.