Ohio State Football: Will it be Lions or Redskins for Chase Young?

Ohio State football star Chase Young seems to be a lock for a top three spot in the 2020 NFL Draft. Where will the superstar end land?

Chase Young, the elite defensive end from Ohio State, is expected to go in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft without any doubt, the real question is which team will draft him first?

Will he go before Joe Burrow, the projected No. 1 pick, or will he follow right behind Burrow at No. 2 or No. 3?

Young started his football career at DeMatha Catholic in Maryland and chose Ohio State over Alabama as a top-10 recruit in 2017.

During his freshman year, Young played in nine games, recorded 18 total tackles, 11 solo and seven assists, including five tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

In his sophomore year with the Buckeyes, Young played in all 13 games of the season and posted 34 total tackles with 14.5 tackles for loss. He also recorded 10.5 sacks, five pass deflections and one forced fumble.

As a junior, Young only continued improving and posted career-high 46 total tackles, 32 solo tackles and 14 assists, yielding 21 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, three pass deflections and seven forced fumbles.

Young placed fourth place in the 2019 Heisman Trophy voting, received the 2019 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors, the 2019 Bronko Nagurski Award, the 2019 Chuck Bednarik Award and the 2019 Ted Hendricks Award.

Strengths

Young’s physicality is one of his greatest strengths at 6-foot-5 and 264 pounds, his arms measure 33 3/4 inches and his hand measure in at 10 inches. His length, speed, power and size creates a playmaking radius and the ability to bust through the blocker’s edge.

He possesses staggering leaps, quick-twitch eruption out of stance and his long lateral stride gives him the ability to suddenly step around as an edge defender.

His momentum and balance extend the play of the rush, he has a low success rate for teams who try to run around him and he can use his torso and hip to maneuver around tackles.

Weaknesses

Young’s strengths outweigh his weaknesses and he will prove to be a valuable asset to the team that drafts him, but he does need improvement in the following areas to reach his full potential as a professional football player.

The elite end needs to work on his field awareness and anticipation and loses track of the football at times. His rush plan is heavily reliant upon his athletic ability and he isn’t very instinctive as a pass rusher.

Young will also need better go-to moves to become less predictable. He also could use a better anchor drop in his lower half and stop giving up ground when setting the edge.

Draft Projection

In my first-ever mock draft for Saturday Blitz, I predicted Young to go to the Washington Redskins in the first round, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.  Most analysts either have Young or Burrow as the first pick, and I think the latter will be drafted first.

Projection: No. 2 overall to the Redskins