By now you know what a dynamic athlete former Ohio State and current Washington Redskins defensive end is on the football field. For a guy his size, he’s got a burst and fast-twitch ability seen rarely.
It’s why the Redskins drafted him as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was a game-wrecker in college and could single-handily take over games at times. He was a rare defensive Heisman finalist.
But there’s one thing maybe you didn’t know about Young according to our sister site Redskins Wire. He was one heck of a basketball player too. In fact, according to his Dematha High School basketball coach Mike Jones, the 6-foot, 5-inch generational athlete could have gone pretty far in hoops if he wanted to.
“If he wanted to be a Division I basketball player, he could have been. I want that to be very clear. You could see his talent and size and his work ethic,” said Jones, via ESPN.
That’s hard to argue with. It’s easy to see the type of issues Young would create as a power forward. His athleticism, quickness, and body would have been one heck of a matchup nightmare for the opposition.
We know at least one NFL team and one college program that’s glad Young chose to put on the pads rather than lace up the high-tops. And we can think of about 31 other NFL teams that might wish he went a different direction come this fall.
