The Redskins have the chance to draft the player many consider to be a generational talent and the best player in this year's draft class in Ohio State defensive end Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick.
Young also happens to be from Maryland and played at DeMatha Catholic High School -- just an hour's drive from the team's facility and about 15 minutes from FedExField.
Young doesn't care which team drafts him; he just wants the opportunity. But if that team happens to be the Redskins, which would allow him to play in front of his hometown people, Young said "it would be a blessing."
"It would mean a lot," Young said at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "Everybody who's known me since I was little could come to a game."
Young, who most analysts are projecting the Redskins to pick on April 23, was surrounded by the burgundy and gold in his hometown of Hyattsville, Maryland, at an early age. He never had a favorite team -- he was more of a person who liked individual players -- but some of his favorites include former Redskin greats like Clinton Portis and Sean Taylor.
"I always watched the Redskins," Young said. "I grew up around them."
Young, who ESPN.com ranked as a four-star recruit after his senior season at DeMatha, was the No. 1 prospect in Maryland and No. 7 in the country. He received offers from dozens of Division I programs, including current powerhouses Alabama and Clemson. He ultimately signed with Ohio State, where he had 30.5 sacks and 98 tackles in three seasons.
Young has gotten almost universal praise for his rare talent and production. ESPN draft expert Todd McShay said the Redskins drafting Young at No. 2 might be “the easiest pick on the board,” while Mel Kiper Jr. believes drafting him would help the team become a contender in the NFC East.
Head coach Ron Rivera and his staff are still evaluating every option with their pick, but should they decide to draft Young, he would be another former Buckeye the team has drafted in the past two years. The Redskins already have Dwayne Haskins and Terry McLaurin, who they picked in the first and third rounds of last year's draft, and both of them became key pieces on offense.
McLaurin has already said that Young could be better than Nick and Joey Bosa, both of whom also played at Ohio State and who won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Haskins, who also played high school football in Maryland, remains good friends with Young and has stayed in contact with him since he was drafted with the 15th overall pick in 2019.
"He definitely wants me to come play with him," Young said.
Young decided not to participate in drills at the combine, opting to focus more on his individual interviews with teams. At the time of his press conference, he had not formally met with anyone from the Redskins but did say he would meet with them on Friday..
Young has always dreamed of being where he is today. He remembers talking with Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz, who attended DeMatha with him, about their future and being a professional athlete. Now, Young is fewer than two months away from making that a reality.
"I'm not even focused on who could draft me," Young said. "I'm focused on being the best player, the best person that I could be and impressing coaches at the combine."
