Head coach Ron Rivera is focused on creating a new culture in Washington, and he decided to build it around the bevy of young talent on the roster.
After a standout rookie year from Terry McLaurin, the promise Dwayne Haskins Jr., Montez Sweat and Cole Holcomb and the newest draft class, ESPN ranked Washington’s under-25 talent 11th in the NFL for the 2020 season.
ESPN believes Washington has five "blue-chip" players who are fundamental assets and have proven themselves at their respected positions. These can't-miss players are Haskins, McLaurin, Sweat, Daron Payne and Chase Young.
Young racked up several defensive accolades at Ohio State and is one of the best young defensive prospects in recent memory. Some people even believe he's a future Hall of Famer before touching the field at the professional level.
For the upcoming season, SackSEER projects Young to "lead his class by more than seven sacks over the next five seasons." There are high expectations for Young, but the belief is that he will have an outstanding rookie season.
Haskins, who entered training camp as the presumptive starter, is expected to run the show this year. Meanwhile, Payne and Sweat, who combined for 106 tackles and 17 quarterback hits in 2019, are expected to be a dynamic parts of this defense.
Washington poses young, powerful threats on both sides of the ball. Let's see if they can produce at the highest level.
