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Terry McLaurin Believes Chase Young Could Be The Best Among Recent Ohio State Pass Rushers

Ohio State defensive end Chase Young (2) holds the trophy following the team's 34-21 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game, early Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Ohio State defensive end Chase Young (2) holds the trophy following the team's 34-21 win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game, early Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Young is considered by many to be the best player available regardless of position. He's expected to follow first-round picks and fellow Buckeyes Joey and Nick Bosa as a player who can make an immediate impact for ultimately takes a chance on him.

Redskins receiver Terry McLaurin is in a unique position; he was a Buckeye himself from 2015-18, so he has played with the Bosa brothers -- each of whom won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year -- in addition to Young. Out of those three, McLaurin thinks Young has the potential to be the best.

"I've seen them all," McLaurin told Voice of the Redskins Larry Michael and staff writer Kyle Stackpole on Radio Row ahead of Super Bowl LIV. "In college, I felt like Chase was the most productive of the three, and he has a chance to possibly be the best. That doesn't take anything away from [Joey and Nick]. That just tells you how good he can be."

Young, who chose to forgo his senior year to enter the draft, has been at Ohio State since 2017 and has improved in every category in each of his three seasons in college. He had 98 total tackles in his college career and even showed his versatility with eight pass breakups.

But Young is most commonly known as being a sack artist, and his stats back up that reputation. He led the nation with 16.5 sacks in 2019 and had the second-most forced fumbles (6).

There are few, if any questions regarding Young as top-tier prospect, and ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay believes the Redskins selecting him could be “the easiest pick on the board.”

"Last year's No. 2 pick and Buckeyes teammate Nick Bosa was a difference-maker [for the San Francisco 49ers] in Year 1," McShay wrote in his latest mock draft. "But the scary truth is that Young is an even better prospect."

That falls in line with what McLaurin has told multiple people, as he was peppered with questions regarding his former and potentially future teammate on Radio Row. Young has the same intangibles as the Bosa brothers, McLaurin said on the Redskins Talk podcast, but he also sees Young as "more of a solid Montez Sweat."

"You see how big Montez is, and to have another guy on the edge like that? I think that's a really unique opportunity."

McLaurin believes people will see Young as a "technically sound" player, but they'll also see how "he's just a guy looking to dominate every play."

"He doesn't take any plays off, he has a high motor, he can wreck a game and you saw that over the course of a college season," McLaurin said.

Most major early mock drafts, including those found on CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and Pro Football Focus, agree with McShay that the Redskins should take Young with the No. 2 pick. Not only is Young the top overall prospect, but the Redskins just hired two defensive-minded coaches in head coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Going with the Buckeyes edge rusher would make a lot of sense.

Analyst Danny Kanell went one step further with NBC Sports Washington, saying that the Redskins should take Young “and not even think twice.”

"He's that good, where it's going to be a no-brainer, and it will work."

McLaurin said Young has matured a lot, even in the one season since he himself was drafted by the Redskins in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Young was voted as a team captain in his final season with the team -- something McLaurin was not sure would happen after being with Young during his freshman campaign.

"That's a testament to his hard work and what his teammates and his coaches thought of him," McLaurin said.

McLaurin didn't offer any predictions on how Young will perform in his rookie year, but he did bring up how much success the Bosa brothers have had early on in their professional careers.

Young will enter the NFL with similar expectations.

"It's going to be up to [Young] to prove it at the next level, because he's going to come in with, whatever team drafts him, high expectations."

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