CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE:
TOP 100 PLAYER PROFILES
RANKING THE VIKINGS NEEDS
EXPLORING VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
A HISTORY OF RICK SPIELMAN’S DRAFT TRADES
VIKINGS TARGETS
LUKE INMAN’S MOCK DRAFTS
SENIOR BOWL CENTRAL
FEATURES FROM OUR STAFF
CHASE YOUNG
HEIGHT/WEIGHT/AGE
6-foot-5
265 pounds
21 years old (as of April 14)
BIG PICTURE
A former five-star recruit from the state of Maryland, Young might be the most talented overall player in the draft. The sculpted edge rusher out of Ohio State destroyed his competition in three years with the Buckeyes. As a junior, he led the nation with 16.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles. Considering he turns 21 less than two weeks before the draft, Young is still, well, young. He didn’t participate in the combine, perhaps because his stock can’t really rise much higher than it already is.
COMBINE NOTABLES
DNP
VIKINGS’ COMPATIBILITY RANKING
0 out of 5. Even though the Vikings need a new edge rusher, teams simply don’t trade up for a top three pick unless it’s for a quarterback.
HIGHLIGHTS
WHAT DRAFT EXPERTS SAY
Kyle Crabbs, The Draft Network: “Chase Young is an elite NFL Draft prospect who can step into any defensive system in the league and find a home in the starting lineup. Young has a surreal potency as a pass rusher, constantly gaining ground, attacking hands and showcasing elite length and flexibility at the top of the arc. Young is a game changing player who opponents will have to cater game plans around in order to negate his disruptive qualities — he’s highly refined with hand tech and should be a splash starter right away.”
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: “Elite size, length and athleticism created loads of production and a vaulted pro projection, but Young’s set of disruptive properties have yet to be fully weaponized. He’s fairly basic as a pass rusher, with just a couple of go-to moves and an occasional inside counter, and yet he still managed 16.5 sacks in 2019. He has the traits to overwhelm many of the tackles he faces, and it won’t take long for teams to add a bull-rush, a rip-and-run and a stab counter into his repertoire. He plays a little upright at the point of attack, and his ball awareness is below average, but those concerns aren’t enough to counterbalance his range and agility as a run defender. Young possesses superior traits and the ability to wreck and alter offensive game-plans as a perennial All-Pro.”
WHAT PFF SAYS
96.5 pass-rushing grade (best ever scouted by PFF)
75 pressures as true sophomore
5.5% run stop rate (slightly below average)
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE:
TOP 100 PLAYER PROFILES
RANKING THE VIKINGS NEEDS
EXPLORING VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
A HISTORY OF RICK SPIELMAN’S DRAFT TRADES
VIKINGS TARGETS
LUKE INMAN’S MOCK DRAFTS
SENIOR BOWL CENTRAL
FEATURES FROM OUR STAFF
