We all know what kind of talent Ohio State defensive end Chase Young is. Making it to New York as a defensive Heisman finalist is all you need to know. He was so dominant that he broke through stereotypes and still led the league in sacks despite sitting out a couple of games because of suspension.
But it’s not just Ohio State fans that think Young is a rare talent. Talk to the NFL types and draft gurus and most of them think the same thing. So much so that he’s listed as the No. 1 prospect on almost everyone’s board. And in the case of ESPN draft expert Todd McShay, Young in a literal class all by himself.
McShay published his tiers for the upcoming NFL draft and they range from Tier 1 through Tier 6. The first Tier is described as “Grades of 95 or higher. Elite prospects. Should be immediate NFL starters and project as perennial All-Pro players. Worthy of a top-five pick most years. I had two players in this tier in 2019.”
Chase Young is the only prospect in Tier 1 for 2020, and in most years there’s just a couple at most. LSU’s Joe Burrow isn’t in that bucket, nor is Alabma quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. It’s just Young, all by his lonesome holding up the Buckeye banner.
To take it a step further, here’s what McShay says about the human wrecking ball.
Young is special off the edge and by far the top prospect in the class, regardless of position. His hand quickness and closing burst are outstanding, and he is the most physically gifted player on the board. That 95 grade puts him in the same class as elite pass-rushers of recent years, including Nick Bosa, Bradley Chubb and Myles Garrett. Though he is not yet as refined as Bosa was coming out of Ohio State, he has the potential to be even better than the No. 2 overall pick in 2019.
It’ll be interesting to see if Young lives up to all this hype he’s getting. Nick and Joey Bosa jumped right in and made huge impacts during their rookie campaigns. Young could follow in those same footsteps.
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