Chase Young out to prove he's the best player in the 2020 NFL Draft
Ohio State defensive end Chase Young plays against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Nov. 30, 2019. Credit: AP/Paul Sancya
INDIANAPOLIS — Joe Burrow? Tua Tagovailoa? Isaiah Simmons? Jeffrey Okudah?
Try none of the above — at least according to Chase Young.
“I definitely think I’m the best player in the draft,” the Ohio State pass rusher said Thursday at the NFL Combine. “I showed it on my tape. You can go to every game. I showed it. I definitely think I put my best foot forward this year.”
Had it not been for Burrow, who is widely expected to be taken by the Bengals with the first overall pick, Young might have been considered the first player off the board. And who knows? Maybe there’s a team desperate enough to get to No. 1 and take Young, who follows in the footsteps of former Buckeyes teammate Nick Bosa as a generational pass rusher.
Bosa was the No. 2 overall pick of the 49ers last year, and he was a key component in San Francisco’s run to Super Bowl LIV. Chances are Young also will be the second overall choice, with the Redskins set to land the draft’s preeminent pass rusher. No matter where Young ends up, he’s anxious to make his mark on the NFL.
“I’m excited to play with the big dogs,” Young said, “and excited to show what I can do.”
There isn’t much Young can’t do, as evidenced by the impressive resume he compiled in three seasons at Ohio State. He totaled 14 sacks in his freshman and sophomore (10.5) seasons and produced a breakout season in 2019 with 16.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles and 46 tackles, including 21 for loss.
The Giants certainly could use a player like Young and may have been in position to get him had they not beaten the Redskins in the next-to-last regular-season game at FedExField. Billed as “The Chase Young Bowl,” it was the Giants who put together their best offensive effort of the season in a 41-35 overtime win.
Young said he saw that game, in part because he was curious about his future whereabouts in the NFL, but mostly because he grew up not far from FedExField and watched the Redskins as a kid. Young played high school ball at DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Maryland, before moving on to Ohio State. It may well be a homecoming of sorts on draft night, because the Redskins are widely expected to make Young their top pick. Last year, the Redskins selected former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
“I always watched the Redskins, hometown team, growing up and being around the Redskins, definitely a good mindset in the NFC East,” he said. “I was a fan of the players – Sean Taylor, Clinton Portis . . . Right now, I’m focused on just being the best player and the best person I can be.”
Will he be another Lawrence Taylor or Reggie White, two defensive players who dominated the NFC East a generation ago? That’s a lot to ask, but Young’s talent may be that good.
And while his physical gifts are unique — there’s no one in the NFL who doubts his potential as one of the league’s future defensive stars — Young believes it’s the intangibles that set him apart from his peers.
“Two of my biggest things are hard work and dedication,” he said. “I’m going to bring those two to the NFL.”
He’s willing to do whatever is asked.
“I feel like I can do everything,” he said. “If they want me to go from a 3-technique and rush the passer, stand up, drop back, check the tight end, play linebacker . . . I feel like I’m going to come in with the mindset of getting prepared to do everything across the board. Everything — 3-4 outside linebacker, 4-3 defensive end with my hand in the dirt. I feel like I can do it all.”
He’ll soon get that chance.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
