2020 NFL Draft: Chase Young suspension a blessing in disguise
Chase Young could miss the rest of his final season with Ohio State, but that could prove to be a blessing for him as he moves towards the pros.
Chase Young may have played his last snap in college football.
The star defensive end will not play for the Buckeyes against Maryland this weekend as the school’s athletic department analyzes a possible NCAA violation. Lettermen Row, which broke the story, says the pass rusher is facing an indefinite suspension.
If Young is done for the year, it would be a crushing blow to Ohio State’s National Championship hopes and his prospects of winning the Heisman Trophy.
However, in terms of the 2020 NFL Draft, it will likely prove a blessing in disguise for Young.
Young had already arguably established himself as the top player in the class and a ban for a breach of NCAA rules is unlikely to change that. To put it bluntly, NFL franchises will not care. They won’t change their opinion of one of the top players in the country unless he is involved in an off-field incident or suffers a significant injury.
His absence from the field for the Buckeyes all but removes the chance of the latter happening and Young does not need to have any nerves about missing upcoming games affecting his draft stock.
Former teammate Nick Bosa played only three games in 2018 before ending his college career early because of a core muscle injury. Bosa battled some early injury issues for the San Francisco 49ers but is now the frontrunner for Defensive Rookie of the Year and in the running for Defensive Player of the Year.
Bosa has proven time away from the game in college is no obstacle to NFL success. Young is viewed by many as the superior prospect to Bosa and his elder brother Joey. With 15.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks in eight games this season, he has absolutely nothing left to prove and little, beyond the joy of a National Championship with Ohio State, to gain by playing out the season for the Buckeyes.
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Young would likely want to end his college career on his own terms but, if he is forced to sit out the rest of the year, the extra time to prepare for the NFL could prove extremely useful for a player set to be playing much more meaningful football in the pros next year.