Washington just got Young.
After the Bengals made Joe Burrow their new franchise quarterback with the first overall pick in Thursday's virtual NFL draft, Washington added an elite player to its roster when it selected Ohio State defensive end Chase Young at No. 2.
Young is the third Ohio State defensive lineman to be drafted within the first three picks in recent years, following Joey Bosa (2016) and Nick Bosa (2019).
Washington had offers from other teams to move down, but it decided to stand strong and select one of the most dominant defensive linemen in college football history. In just 12 games last season, Young had 16.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. He was a Heisman finalist and clearly the most talented player on the field in every game Ohio State played.
Just turn on an Ohio State game from last year. Young is an unblockable destroyer of offensive lines who will immediately be one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL. He's the perfect long term replacement for Ryan Kerrigan, who only has one year left on his current contract. Young is so good that no one is even blinking at the idea of Washington spending back-to-back first round picks on edge rushers; they selected Montez Sweat with the 26th pick in last year's draft.
Washington now has arguably the best young group of defensive linemen in the league. Young joins Jon Allen, Matthew Ioannidis, Da'Ron Payne and Sweat on Washington's defensive line. That's a group capable of terrorizing the NFC East over the next three or four years.
The Young selection was a no brainer for Washington. He's arguably the best player in the entire draft and ensures Washington will have a strong pass rush for years to come.
