'How long can he hold off Micah Parsons?' — Hall of Famer's days on elite list are numbered thanks to Cowboys' superstar

Warren Sapp is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history and he's arguably the best interior defensive lineman to ever play the three-technique position.

What he did during his time in Tampa Bay upped the ante for teams to find that guy who could collapse the pocket and get to the quarterback. Without him, one could easily contend the Bucs don't win Super Bowl XXXVII. Hell, they probably don't even make it there.

Regardless, Sapp recently received some major love that up until now, head never been put in fine print: ESPN's Ben Solak put out a column labeling the best draft pick of all time at each slot and Sapp came in at No. 12. 

That's big and it just reinforces how much Sapp impacted the game. However, there's a twist at the end of Solak's comment and it comes in the form of Dallas Cowboys superstar Micah Parsons:

The only Hall of Famer selected with the 12th overall pick (so far), Sapp was one of those rare defensive tackles who could accumulate sacks from the interior. He has a Defensive Player of the Year award and a Lombardi Trophy on his shelf. How much longer can he hold off Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons, though? It depends on the hardware Parsons collects over his own career. - Ben Solak, ESPN

Solak is correct. If Parsons continues to play at the level we've seen over the first four years of his career -and there's no reason to think he won't- then he'll pass Sapp on this list.

When it comes to the Defensive Player of the Year conversation, Parsons' name is in the mix every single year. The position (or positions) he plays allows him to rack up sacks and make splash plays, which is exactly what guys need to win DPOTY. He's made the Pro Bowl and has been named an All-Pro in all four seasons of his career, he won Defensive Rookie of the Year back in 2021, and he's racked up 52.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles, 63 tackles for loss, and 112 quarterback hits during that time. 

Winning a DPOTY award may be just enough to pass Sapp, but there's still the lack of postseason success hanging over both Parsons and the Cowboys. That could always hold things up.

It goes beyond numbers and awards, too. Parsons is an elite talent and there are very few players, both in past and present tense, that can do what he does at the level he does it.

It's more a matter of "when", than "if" for Parsons and it could come much sooner than later.