Former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons has been voted the No. 8 best player in the NFL, the league announced Wednesday.

This marks the fifth consecutive year the Green Bay Packers edge rusher has cracked the top 100 list, though this year’s edition marks the highest he has ever landed.

Previously, Parsons was ranked No. 36 in 2025, No. 17 in 2024, No. 9 in 2023, and No. 16 in 2022.

NFL Top Players of 2026@MicahhParsons11 checking in at 8 pic.twitter.com/xHeM0iwnwP

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) August 26, 2026

His ranking comes after an impressive year where the Nittany Lion recorded 12.5 sacks in 13 games for the Green Bay Packers. The edge rusher also tallied 41 tackles (19 solo) and 27 quarterback hits in 13 games before suffering a torn left ACL in December against the Denver Broncos.

Parsons still received his fourth All-Pro and fifth Pro Bowl selection in 2026.

Acquired by the Packers via a trade with the Cowboys in 2025, Parsons became the first NFL player with at least a dozen sacks in each of his first five NFL seasons. His 65 career sacks rank fifth all time for a player over their first five seasons.

When healthy, Parsons is an absolute freak of nature, and he proved it during his time in Happy Valley. Parsons quickly established himself as one of the program’s top defensive players, earning Freshman All-America honors in 2018 after leading the team with 83 tackles. Parsons was the first true freshman in program history to do so.

In 2019, Parsons took his game to another level, recording 109 tackles (14 for loss), five sacks and four forced fumbles. He was named a Consensus All-American and ended the season with first-team All-Big Ten honors. He also became the first sophomore in Big Ten history to win the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year award.