Parsons, Oweh Selected in the First Round of the NFL Draft

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: April 30, 2021

Photo by Kathy Reed
Courtesy of GoPSU athletics

Marks the first time since 2003 Penn State has had multiple defensive picks in the first round

CLEVELAND – Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons(12th overall, Dallas Cowboys) and defensive end Jayson Oweh (31st overall, Baltimore Ravens) were each selected in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night.

With the first round selections of Parsons and Oweh, it marks the first time since 2003 (DT Jimmy Kennedy and DE Michael Haynes) Penn State has had multiple defensive players selected in the first round and just the third time overall in the common draft era (other time was DE Courtney Brown and LB LaVar Arrington in 2000). Oweh and Parsons are the 38^th and 39^th all-time first round draft picks at PSU.

A total of 363 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL Draft, which ranks seventh among Division I institutions. Penn State has had 46 draft picks since 2010. A total of 28 Nittany Lions have been drafted since head coach James Franklin’s arrival to the program, including 19 in the last four years.

Micah Parsons • LB • 6-3, 246 • Harrisburg, Pa. • Harrisburg High School

Parsons is the highest drafted Penn State defensive player since Aaron Maybin went 11^th overall to the Buffalo bills in 2009. Additionally, he is the first Penn State player taken in the first round since Saquon Barkley (2018; second overall to the New York Giants), the first Nittany Lion defensive player drafted in the first round since Jared Odrick (2010; 28th overall to the Miami Dolphins) and the first PSU linebacker selected in the first round since LaVar Arrington (2000; second overall to the Washington Redskins).

Parsons becomes the fifth Penn State linebacker to be selected in the first round, joining Arrington, Shane Conlan (1987; eighth overall to the Buffalo Bills), Ed O’Neil (1974; eighth overall to the Detroit Lions) and Dave Robinson (1963; 14th overall to the Green Bay Packers). He is the 69th Penn State linebacker to be drafted all-time, the most for any school.

Parsons is the 11th Penn State player to be drafted by Dallas and the first since offensive lineman Connor McGovern (3rd round, 90th overall in 2019).

“We could not be prouder of Micah, a young man from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft,” said head coach James Franklin. “He will be a great addition to the Cowboys. What separates Micah from others is his intense competitive nature. He was the first sophomore to be the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year in our conference’s 125-year history and was a Consensus All-American in 2019 after playing the position for only two seasons. Micah had an incredible drive to complete his college degree. He graduated from Penn State in just three years with a degree in criminology and finished with a GPA above 3.0. The Cowboys are getting a phenomenal talent who is sharp, thoughtful and is just beginning to scratch the surface of what he is capable of becoming. We have been extremely fortunate to have a player like Micah represent our program and we wish him nothing but the best in the NFL.”

“I am super excited for Micah to be selected by the Dallas Cowboys and carry on the tradition of LBU,” said defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Brent Pry. “I am so proud of his accomplishments at Penn State and thrilled for his future in the NFL. The Cowboys should be very excited to have such a competitive player and quality person. The fans in Dallas are going to love Micah Parsons, and his coaches and teammates will love working with him.”

Micah Parsons Bio

2019 Big Ten Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year, becoming the first sophomore in Big Ten history to win the award.
Named a Consensus All-American by the NCAA.
Was an All-America first team selection by numerous outlets, including the Associated Press, USA Today, ESPN, the AFCA, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and Pro Football Focus.
Earned additional All-America honors from Sporting News, CBS Sports, the FWAA, Walter Camp Foundation, The Athletic and Phil Steele.
2019 All-Big Ten first team selection by the coaches and media.
Was a finalist for the Butkus Award and a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award in 2019.
Tied for seventh all-time at Penn State with six forced fumbles.
Tied for fifth at Penn State with four forced fumbles in a single season.
Finished the 2019 season with 10 or more tackles in three straight games and six of the final seven games.
Reached the 100-tackle mark in 2019, the first Penn State player since Marcus Allen in 2016.
Ranked fifth in the Big Ten averaging 8.4 tackles per game in 2019.
Was sixth in the nation and third in the Big Ten with 0.31 forced fumbles per game in 2019.
Tied a career high with 14 tackles, including 10 tackles in the first half, a career-high three tackles for loss and two sacks in the win against Memphis in the Cotton Bowl (12/28/19).
As a true freshman, was selected Freshman All-America by The Athletic, 247Sports and ESPN.

Jayson Oweh • DE • 6-5, 257 • Howell, N.J. • Blair Academy

Oweh becomes the fifth Penn State defensive end selected in the first round, joining Aaron Maybin (2009; 11th overall to the Buffalo Bills), Tamba Hali (2006; 20th overall to the Kansas City Chiefs), Michael Haynes (2003; 14th overall to the Chicago Bears) and Courtney Brown (2000; 1st overall to the Cleveland Browns). Overall, Penn State has had 19 defensive ends drafted including at least one in the last three drafts.

Oweh is the fifth Penn State player to be drafted by Baltimore and the first since quarterback Trace McSorley (6^th round, 197th overall in 2019).

“We are excited for Jayson to hear his name called in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens,” said Franklin. “Aside from his freakish athletic ability, first and foremost, Jayson is a great person who comes from a great family. He has tremendous upside and could play in multiple defensive schemes. Jayson will learn and grow quickly into a very productive player for the Ravens. We have really enjoyed watching Jayson develop as a player, leader, and man since he joined our program three years ago. He and Shaka Toney are the first Penn State defensive end duo to receive All-Big Ten first-team honors since 1998. We could not be more proud of Jayson and it has been a joy to watch him fulfill his NFL dreams. We are confident his best football is in front of him.”

“I’m so excited for Jayson to have this opportunity,” said defensive line coach John Scott Jr. “To watch Jayson grow over the last seven or eight months that we were able to be with him and coach him has been a great thing to see. I think the Baltimore Ravens are getting a player that has a lot of upward trajectory. He’s a young guy with elite qualities. He’s a tough, physical guy that has really good hands and feet. He is an elite pass rusher, he knows how to work an edge and he is very physical in the run game versus tackles and tight ends. I think he will be a dominant player at the next level and he will be a player that a lot of teams wish they would have drafted.”

Jayson Oweh Bio

Earned All-Big Ten first team honors from the coaches and second team laurels from the media in 2020.
Joined teammate Shaka Toney as the first Penn State defensive end duo to receive All-Big Ten first team honors since Courtney Brown and Brad Scioli in 1998.
Tallied 10 tackles vs. Maryland (11/7/20), becoming the first Penn State defensive lineman with 10 or more tackles in a game since Yetur Gross-Matos against Indiana in 2018 (10 tackles).
Collected 38 tackles during the 2020 season, ranking fourth on the team.
Named to the Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week following the Indiana (10/24/20) game.
Notched a team-high-tying nine tackles, including six solo, and 1.5 tackles for loss at Nebraska (11/14).
Notched 1.5 tackles for loss, while collecting 6 tackles against Iowa (11/21).
Named Big Ten Freshman of the Week following the Michigan State game (10/26/19), while collecting two sacks and two forced fumbles.
Selected to the Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week second team and Big Ten Team of the Week first team following his performance at Michigan State (10/26/19).