With The First Pick
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Chase Young v. Joe Burrow: Battle for first overall pick in 2020 NFL Draft

By Seth Steere

ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a pick by the Cincinnati Bengals during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces a pick by the Cincinnati Bengals during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 23: Chase Young #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes warms up before a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 23: Chase Young #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes warms up before a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

Argument for Chase Young

If we look at the last 3 drafts (excluding 2019) when a quarterback was taken first overall — 2018, 2016, and 2015 — we’ll see that the first quarterback taken, is not the most talented in the class.

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In 2018 the Cleveland Browns drafted Baker Mayfield who is currently being outplayed by the Baltimore Raven’s Lamar Jackson, who was selected 32nd overall in the draft. In the 2016 draft, the LA Rams chose Jared Goff, in the same draft Dak Prescott was picked by the Cowboys in the fourth round. Finally, in the 2015 draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went with Jameis Winston; you could argue he’s been out preformed by Marcus Mariota, but either way, neither of them will be starting for their teams next year.

The quarterback position is a tough one to get right, but the defensive end position isn’t as much of a gamble. Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney were the last two edge rusher selected number one overall and despite Clowney not being on his original team, there is no arguing that both have made an impact in the NFL.

Chase Young is not only talented, but he shows up in the biggest moments; whenever Ohio State needs a stop or a sack, Young always delivers. In their two biggest games of the year (Wisconsin and Penn State) he racked up a total of 7.0 sacks, 9.0 tackles for loss, and 4 forced fumbles. Despite missing two games Young is still leading the nation in sacks with 16.5.

Sure Andy Dalton isn’t the best quarterback, but he isn’t the worst either. If the Bengals wanted to move on from Dalton there is always the option of checking free agency. Both Marcus Mariota and Cam Newton are likely to be available, perhaps even Winston will be out of Tampa next year; why waste a first-round pick on a quarterback when you can let other teams do it?

Burrow has had a great year, but it doesn’t always translate and if it does it will likely take time for that investment to pay off. As we’ve seen from San Francisco (Nick Bosa) and Jacksonville (Josh Allen) it’s much easier to nail the edge rusher position than quarterback. Bosa and Allen have had a great start to their careers, but the crazy part is that Chase Young could be even better than both.

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