NY Giants: 3 reasons Penn State’s Micah Parsons is best fit at No. 11

Reason #2 NY Giants should pursue Micah Parsons: Health

Unlike a majority of the 2021 NFL draft class, Parsons did not participate in the 2020 college football campaign for Penn State due to COVID-19.

Parsons opted out before the Big Ten even announced a return to play plan, but once they did, he once again decided against lacing up his cleats in what was a protracted conference-only Big Ten season.

Naturally, not receiving blocks from 300-pound offensive linemen, athletically freakish tight ends, and bulldozing backs during any in-game competition for over a year is an easy way to recover from doing so. Parsons did so in his freshman and sophomore seasons and never missed a single game.

Now, he comes into 2021 with a year of focusing on his fitness and health under his belt, although watching his team limp to a 4-5 record probably didn’t improve his mood during a global pandemic.

The NY Giants could use health in their linebacker core after losing five games of David Mayo’s 2020 campaign due to surgery for a torn meniscus. Mayo has since moved on to the Washington Football Team.

Parsons figures to be fresher than the competition, as his Penn State Pro Day revealed:

Those numbers are eye-popping. One must think Dave Gettleman would agree.