Cowboys’ Parsons will be forever linked with NFC East 1st-round picks

© Brad McClenny / The Gainesville Sun via Imagn Content Services, LLC Blake Martinez left a big hole in the Packers defense when he left for the Giants. He was not very good in coverage for them, but he tackled every thing. They get a speedy athletic LB to replace him hoping he can not only make the tackles, but also stay close in coverage as well.

The Dallas Cowboys decisions made on Thursday night, like every decision a team in the NFL makes when it comes to player acquisitions, will have ripple effects. What’s most interesting though is how directly impacted the rest of the NFC East was by, and was to, the Cowboys and their selection of linebacker Micah Parsons.

Clearly, trading with the Philadelphia Eagles will forever link the Cowboys to their selection. Dallas allowed the Eagles to select WR and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith out of Alabama. Each catch, each touchdown, each defender left in the dust will invoke Cowboys fans lamenting giving him to the Eagles instead of letting him go to the Giants.

Meanwhile the Giants lost out on Smith and traded back from No. 11. Their compensation from the Chicago Bears? Picks 5.164, a 2022 1st and a 2022 4th along with selecting Florida WR Kadarius Toney.

Perhaps the biggest comparison in store could be what happened when Washington got on the clock right before New York. At No. 19, the Football Team selected Jamin Davis, the Kentucky linebacker. A late-riser in the public space of draft conversation, Davis received some reviews as the most complete linebacker in the draft once evaluators began diving into his tape. Sure enough, he landed in the first round. As the second LB taken and being in the division, there will be a direct comparison between his play and Parsons.

Now this conversation cannot be had without stating that there are plenty of evaluators who believe Parsons is an incredible prospect, including the most important opinions which reside in the Cowboys front office. They had a chance to take all of those players and presumably the same trade with the Bears and instead chose to take Parsons along with the Eagles pick at No. 82.

Time will tell which franchise handled their first-round situation the best.

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