GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 28: Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Chase Young (2) looks on during the 2019 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl college football playoff semifinal game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Clemson Tigers on December 28, 2019 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
To the surprise of no one, Ohio State defensive end Chase Young has declared for the 2020 NFL Draft.
As the most dominant defensive player in college football this season, it was a foregone conclusion Chase Young would go pro. On Friday, the Ohio State junior defensive end made it official, announcing he will declare for the 2020 NFL Draft.
Young was suspended for two games this season due to a flimsy NCAA rules violation related to a loan he accepted (and subsequently paid back) in 2018. But in 12 games he still had 16.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss with six forced fumbles on his way to being a Heisman Trophy finalist. He did win the Bronko Nagurski, Chuck Bednarik and Ted Hendricks Awards on a national level, given to the best defensive player in the country by two separate voting bodies (Nagurski and Bednarik) and the top defensive end in the nation (Hendricks). He also won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Over three seasons with the Buckeyes, Young had 30.5 sacks and 40.5 tackles for loss.
Young is No. 1 on the draft Big Board of ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. right now, and he will be in play for the Cincinnati Bengals with the first overall pick. If he falls below No. 2 to the Washington Redskins in April it would be considered an upset at this point. The Detroit Lions, New York Giants and Miami Dolphins will round out the top five, assuming there are no trades, and that fifth overall pick looks like the absolute floor for where Young will be drafted.
It was out there for a time that Young was planning to return to Ohio State for his senior season. But logic said otherwise, with him slated to be a top-five pick and possibly go No. 1 overall, and that logic has officially prevailed for one of the top prospects in the 2020 draft class.