Battle for No. 1 overall: Chase Young, Ohio State

In the first part of a recurring series looking at which 2020 NFL draft picks have a strong chance at being the No. 1 overall pick next April, we take a closer look at Ohio State’s Chase Young.

Last season was a big one for Ohio State edge defender Chase Young. He started the year as the team’s second-best edge rusher behind Nick Bosa — the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. During the third game of the season, Bosa went down with a year-ending injury forcing Young to step-up; Young did so in a big way. He ended 2018 with 9.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.

Young is explosive off the edge. He has great bend and routinely beats his opponent with speed. He can win with his hands, too. Young’s best and most successful pass-rush move is his two-hand swipe.

Young has a great understanding of how to rush the passer. He mixes up his pass-rush moves nicely. Some players will bull-rush tackles and keep their pad level the same throughout the entire rush; Young, on the other hand, does a great job of changing it up. He does a nice job dipping and ripping.

Young is a playmaker even when he isn’t getting to the quarterback. He has a knack for batting passes at the line of scrimmage; he swatted five last season.

Young has the physical makeup and size expected out of edge players at the next level. He is listed at 6’5″, 265-pounds on Ohio State’s website. He should, more or less, check-in at that range at the NFL combine next year.

If we were to nitpick Young’s game and find a flaw, it would be in his ability to stop the run. There are times where gets outmanned and washed out on run plays. For Young to make the jump into No. 1 overall territory, he’s going to need to prove he can make more happen against the run.

An edge defender’s ability to stop the run shouldn’t take away from what’s truly important though: getting after the quarterback. If Young was getting washed out of every run play perhaps there were be more concern, but that’s not the case.

Young was an elite talent coming out of high school, given a 5-star rating. With his pedigree and the level of talent he possesses he is currently a no-brainer for the top-10 and is a deserving preseason candidate to be the first overall pick next April.