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Most assume the Detroit Lions have to find a way to lose their way to the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and get some luck to even have a chance at landing defensive end Chase Young.
What if the Lions could finish with the No. 3 pick and still get Young? Most fans would likely take that in a heartbeat, and it’s a scenario that was recently presented in a new mock by Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News.
According to Iyer’s mock, the Washington Redskins take Alabama wideout Jerry Jeudy to help them complement the development of quarterback Dwayne Haskins. That leaves Young to slip down to the Lions with the very next pick.
Here’s Iyer on what the Redskins could be thinking if they looked Jeudy’s direction:
“They should look hard to trade this pick to a QB-needy team or one desperate to get Chase Young.. They will think about offensive tackle too in the aftermath of the Trent Williams mess, but they can’t go wrong with the best offensive player available and pairing Terry McLaurin with another scary big-play target. Jeudy fits the profile as a No. 1 receiver; a classic intermediate-to-deep playmaker and drive-finisher at 6-1, 198 pounds.”
When it comes to the Lions, they likely wouldn’t hesitate to scoop up Young. That’s something Iyer admits in his writeup.
“Young qualifies as a better prospect than recent Ohio State NFL studs Joey Bosa and Nick Bosa. Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn would jump at the chance to get this cornerstone talent for the team’s defensive rebuild. Young (6-5, 265 pounds) is a game-changing disruptor. He has 16.5 sacks in only 11 games as a junior. He’s the clear pick for a team that doesn’t need a QB or a WR.”
The chances of this happening? They might be slim at best given Young’s stature near the top of the draft, but there’s a long way to go between now and April, and anything is always possible.
Obviously, this would be a certified miracle for Lions fans.
Chase Young Stats
It’s easy to see why teams are drooling over Young in this process. The defensive end out of Ohio State has the look of a generational talent at his position given his combination of size and strength. As a whole, Young has dominated, piling up an astonishing 30.5 sacks, 9 forced fumbles and 40.5 tackles for loss.
Young has threatened to go back to college in 2020, so it will be interesting to see if that actually happens, or he ends up taking his talents to the NFL. The bet is that the league will get to see Young join their class in 2020.
Obviously, thanks to these numbers, he figures to be a player that can make an immediate jump into perhaps being one of the more fearsome defenders in the league.
Lions Biggest 2020 NFL Draft Need is Defensive End
Detroit cannot pressure the quarterback meaningfully in 2019, something that has been painfully obvious for weeks and that is a glaring problem given what the team has done to add to the front in recent months and years. Part of the problem has been injury, but beyond Trey Flowers and Da’Shawn Hand, the Lions simply don’t have any young building blocks they can count on right now. The team has to find some form of consistency in the trenches, and that is why it’s a major need for them moving forward.
If the draft were held today, the Lions would have to target some type of defensive end or pass rush specialist highly, and Young would be the top option. Without a few impact players here in 2020, it’s tough to imagine the Lions turning their defensive fortunes around.
That makes the selection of Young so vital, and why so many wish to see the Lions find a way to select him. That’s true whether the move comes at pick No. 2 or No. 3 in the draft.
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