STATE COLLEGE — Micah Parsons has a large range on where he could go in the 2021 NFL Draft, from the top-10 to the second half of the first round, depending on the analyst.

But the former Penn State linebacker has continued to gather praise no matter where he’s projected to go in the draft.

ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay, who projected Parsons to go to the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 12 overall pick in his most recent mock draft, is the latest prognosticator to heap praise on Parsons for his play and athletic traits.

“Parsons is a stud,” McShay said on a conference call Monday morning. “I mean, he could go a little earlier, maybe he falls a few picks later, but he’s long, he ran a [4.39], I think, at 246 pounds. He’s 6-3, 246 and ran in the 4.3s. It’s so rare to have that guy. He’s not just a sideline-to-sideline run defender. He can cover, and he also can rush the passer, so there are so few guys that you can get like that that can actually step in right away, be ready to play and can be on the field all three downs, and then not only play the run, but also do multiple things in the passing game.”

Parsons has been well-regarded as a draft prospect — and he reaffirmed his status with an impressive Pro Day workout last month — and some analysts have had him as the top defensive player available in this class. Parsons, though, has started to slide down draft boards a bit as more quarterbacks become projected to go in the top 10 and premium positions like wide receiver and cornerback get more attention.

McShay has five quarterbacks, three wide receivers, two cornerbacks and Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, arguably one of the top overall prospects in the draft class, going off the board before Parsons goes to the Eagles at No. 12.

The Eagles would be an interesting landing spot for Parsons. Philadelphia has a need at the position with Alex Singleton, T.J. Edwards and 2020 draft picks Davion Taylor and Shaun Bradley as the top returning players at the position. Parsons could immediately jump atop the depth chart. But the Eagles have not invested heavily in the position under executive vice president/general manager Howie Roseman, and that includes using high draft picks.

The Eagles are at No. 12 after trading down from No. 6 last month.

“If you’re moving back to that spot at 12, then you’re looking at — and I think wide receiver’s probably the biggest area that they need help — but corner and linebacker are the two other spots that I think are high priorities in terms of needs,” McShay said. “I had already, I think I already had Patrick Surtain and Jaycee Horn coming off the board prior to where they picked at 12, so I went with the best defensive player and again, the linebacker.”

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