There aren’t many high expectations for the Washington Football Team to perform well in the 2020 season, but the same can’t be said for the defensive line, and specifically, rookie DE Chase Young, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft, and arguably the best overall player in his draft class.
Before he has even taken a snap in the NFL, Young is already being compared to legendary players like Julius Peppers and Von Miller. For an established player to receive that kind of attention may be tough, but for a rookie? It’s almost unheard of. When talking to the crew at #GMFB on NFL Network Wednesday morning, Young addressed this premature praise.
“That’s really a touching word for a rookie coming in, but that’s why I try to just block out the noise, good and bad,” Young said. “I just try to focus on every day, taking one step at a time. I can’t really say too much about what other people think about me, I just keep doing my thing.”
Young will have the benefit that most early first-round rookies don’t have by walking into a situation that’s already built for him to succeed. With a defensive line in Washington that consists of five total former first-round picks, the attention will not be solely on stopping Young, and he should be able to have an impact because of that.
Will that allow him to live up to expectations in his rookie year? We’ll see. It doesn’t seem like he’s too concerned about that just yet, though.
