Former Penn State football star Micah Parsons will be in attendance for the 2021 NFL Draft, which will begin in Cleveland on Thursday, April 29.

Parsons will join Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith, along with fellow defensive stars Patrick Surtain II of Alabama, Gregory Rousseau of Miami, and several others.

The NFL announced the first wave of draft invitees via Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.

Only a select number of players with first-round draft potential are invited each year. Parsons will be the first Penn State player to attend the draft since Saquon Barkley in 2018, when he was taken with the second overall pick by the New York Giants.

Many analysts have projected Parsons to be selected in the top half of the first round, even after sitting out all of the 2020 season. The linebacker’s recent performance at Penn State’s Pro Day boosted his draft stock in the eyes of many NFL scouts.

At 6’3″, 246 pounds, Parsons recorded a blazing time of 4.39 in the 40-yard dash, which is only one-hundredth of a second slower than top wide receiver prospect Ja’Marr Chase of LSU.

Parsons also racked up 19 bench press reps and posted a 34″ vertical leap as he worked out in front of representatives from 31 of the 32 NFL franchises.

During his career at Penn State, Parsons played in 26 games over two seasons, and recorded 192 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and added 19 tackles for loss. Parsons was named a consensus All-American by many outlets after his sophomore season in which he accumulated 109 tackles and five sacks.

Recently, Parsons was selected to appear on ESPN’s “Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL.” The program features NFL Draft prospects from around the country as they prepare for the upcoming draft.

The NFL Draft’s first round will kick off at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 29 and will be broadcast on ESPN and the NFL Network.