Chase Young is headed to the nation's capital.
The Washington Redskins selected the Ohio State defensive end with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday.
An effective defender for most of his final two collegiate seasons, the edge rusher burst onto the national scene in 2019 with a four-sack performance in a 38-7 win over Wisconsin in late October. Young went from Big Ten standout to national darling with his performance, building momentum that carried through a two-game absence due to an eligibility issue into the college football postseason.
Despite failing to register a sack in his final two games as a Buckeye (a Big Ten title game win over Wisconsin and a Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson), Young's value was already cemented among the professional scouting community. His 30.5 career sacks (over three seasons) proved he was the best player at the second most-valuable position in the NFL, meaning he'd be selected very high in the draft.
That projection became reality Thursday night when Washington's turn came to make its pick. The fourth-place finisher in Heisman Trophy voting is heading to his home state of Maryland to join a unit that now features five first-round selections, with veteran star Ryan Kerrigan and 2019 first-round selection Montez Sweat among them.
If such a reality sounds familiar, it should. The reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers trotted out a similarly prestigious defensive front in 2019, which helped them sprint to a conference title and appearance in Super Bowl LIV.
The Redskins aren't yet considered among the league's best, but if Young can carry over his game-changing impact that vaulted him into the top two of the draft, he'll be well worth the selection.
