Young at heart: Experts suggest how Ohio State star could excel at the next level.
Chase Young is almost universally regarded as the best prospect in this year’s NFL draft.
He’s expected to go second overall to Washington, behind only LSU quarterback Joe Burrow. And if he doesn’t, there’s virtually no chance he’ll slip past the Lions at No. 3.
Young dominated the Big Ten this season, posting a college football-best 161⁄2 sacks in 12 games. And while he has been criticized for disappearing late in the season, when he was shut out of the sack column in Ohio State’s final three games, two analysts who have studied his game said that dip in production was not indicative of a swoon in play.
“Not a concern,” ESPN analyst Bobby Carpenter, a former Lions linebacker, said at Super Bowl LIV. “I watched him, he was doing the exact same thing. They weren’t going to let Chase Young beat them at the end of the year.”
Young served a two-game suspension in November for a violation of NCAA rules and returned with a dominant threesack performance against Penn State. He didn’t register a tackle the next week in the Buckeyes’ blowout win over Michigan, then followed up a six-tackle performance against Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game with two tackles in a national semifinal loss to Clemson.
Young will not participate in drills at this week’s NFL scouting combine, according to reports. He will instead spend the week going through medical exams and interviewing with prospective teams.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Young will still take part in drills at Ohio State’s pro day.
Carpenter, an occasional workout partner of Young’s in Columbus, said Young compares favorably to the last two Ohio State defensive linemen to go in the top five, Nick and Joey Bosa, the NFL’s Defensive Rookies of the Year in 2019 and 2016, respectively.
“A lot of guys have compared him to either Nick or Joey Bosa coming out the last couple years,” Carpenter said. “I don’t know if he’s quite as polished as those guys. They were obviously really polished coming in. (Ohio State defensive line coach) Larry Johnson did some more things with them and got them to an elite level in a hurry.
“But I think that there might be a little bit higher degree of upside with Chase and a little more athleticism there, but it’s tough to say when you have two guys who were the Defensive Rookie of the Year.”
Carpenter, who played one season for Lions coach Matt Patricia with the New England Patriots, said Young has “everything you want” in a pass rusher who would be a no-brainer of a pick if he slipped to No. 3.
“Chase is a hard worker,” Carpenter said. “I mean, he could have walked into Ohio State and probably just put forth average effort for three years and still been a first-round pick. I give him a lot of credit for taking onus of wanting to be the best, wanting to be one of the best, and he put in a lot of work each and every day developing his body and then also honing his craft as a pass rusher, and because of that you’re seeing a guy that’s probably going to be taken second overall.”
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who ranks Young the No. 1 prospect in the draft, said he had a slightly higher grade on Nick Bosa coming out of college but called Young “a premier player at the second most valuable position in the sport.”
As for his limited production late in the season, Jeremiah said Young’s worth was still evident on film.
“When you watch the last few games of the season you can see the benefit that he has for everybody else up front and just creating one-on-ones,” Jeremiah said.
“He draws so much attention, and I feel like it’s interesting because I’ve used the phrase generational talent. When I say that, it almost feels like it’s a slap in the face to what Ohio State’s done because when you look at the Bosa brothers and how good they are, he’s in the group with those guys. So I do want to clarify that. He’s the best player in this draft class.
“I actually had a little bit higher grade on Nick coming out than Chase. I had a higher grade on Chase than Joey. Obviously, Joey’s been a perennial Pro Bowl player. He’s outstanding. But he’s one of those type of guys, and the impact he has, not only is he – he’s going to win his one-on-ones when he gets them but he’s going to create so many double and triple teams his way it’s going to be able to let the other guys eat a little bit.”