Ohio State defensive end Chase Young was the highest-rated player in the 2020 NFL Draft class via the CBS Sports Big Board and essentially every draftnik on the planet, so the Washington Redskins were clear winners that he slipped to them at No. 2 overall when the Cincinnati Bengals took LSU quarterback Joe Burrow No. 1 overall.
Just like it wasn't a surprise that Burrow was the clear-cut betting favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award odds, neither is it that Young is the +350 leader at William Hill sportsbook for the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
The Redskins have had some amazing defensive players over the years, but never someone who has won this award – The Associated Press version, which is the official one for betting purposes, began in 1967.
Young obviously will start from Day 1 on that Washington defense, and he has one major trend working in his favor: That he went to Ohio State. A Buckeye has won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year three of the past four seasons: 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa in 2019, Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore in 2017, and Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa in 2016.
However, the Bosa brothers are the only two players in the last eight years to win this award after being the first defensive player selected in the draft like Young was. Young is 6-foot-5 but thinks he still may grow a bit. His dad is 6-foot-10, his mom 6-foot and sister 5-foot-10.
Young said one player he compares himself to is former NFL defensive end Julius Peppers, who is 6-foot-7. Peppers won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2002 with the Panthers and should be Canton-bound someday. The Redskins' defense was awful last year despite having four other previous first-round picks up front in tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, and ends Montez Sweat and Ryan Kerrigan.
| Defensive Rookie of Year favorites |
| Chase Young +350 |
| Isaiah Simmons +800 |
| AJ Epenesa +1400 |
| Patrick Queen +1400 |
| Jeff Okudah +2000 |
| Kenneth Murray +2000 |
