Chase Young is seen as the best player in the 2020 draft class, the favorite to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and an immediate Pro Bowler. Some have even anointed him as a future Pro Football Hall of Famer.
These monumental expectations would weigh on most people, but not Young.
"I try to block out the noise, the good and bad," said Young on Good Morning Football on Wednesday morning. "I just try to focus on the everyday and take it one day at a time. I can't really say too much on what other people say about me, but I'm just going to keep doing my thing."
Entering the NFL can be intimidating for rookies, especially when the position group they're joining is filled with former first-round picks. That has not been the case for Young, though, as Washington's defensive line has welcomed him with open arms.
"I feel good going into the meetings, just meeting the guys, being around them, working out and getting that chemistry. I feel like we're going to be real good, man."
Despite the unit's struggles last season, Young and his fellow defensive linemen know they have a target on their backs entering the 2020 campaign. GMFB's Peter Schrager went as far as to compare them to the defense of last year's Super Bowl finalist, the San Francisco 49ers.
"I feel like as a group, we know what we want to accomplish and know what we have to do to try and get to that D-line level that not a lot of teams can get to," Young said. "Every day just know we're working and we're busting our butts."
Switching gears to the offense, Young is back on the field with his former Ohio State teammate, quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr.. During the offseason, Haskins received a lot of publicity from his workouts with other high profile players in the NFL, but the GMFB crew still had questions about him. Young provided some answers.
"They getting a guy who works hard, is a crazy competitor," Young said. "As you've seen this offseason, Dwayne has been preparing like a pro. I've talked to him, I've seen him work, and coming out on the field for practice, you can just tell he's a different type of Dwayne and a guy who's real focused and a guy who just can't wait to lead our team."
