Chase Young to Lions Momentum Builds Within New Mock Draft

Getty Chase Young at a presser in New York.

The Detroit Lions seemed far from a lock to land Chase Young with the No. 3 pick months ago, and while that still might not be the case, folks are now coming around to the notion that it might be possible.

In a new mock, NFL.com analyst Charles Davis presented his thoughts on what will happen in the 2020 NFL Draft. Within the mock, he had a pair of quarterbacks going with the No. 1 and No. 2 picks. That left Young to Detroit, and it’s a move that the Lions would jump to make, even if they have to make a big decision.

Here’s what Davis wrote:

“It’s decision time for the Lions, similar to Cleveland’s situation two years ago ( Bradley Chubb vs. Denzel Ward) — pass rusher (Young) or cover guy (Jeff Okudah)? The pass rusher wins this time.”

The Lions might be set to take a big plunge in the cornerback market, so snagging Young to help a sagging pass rush would certainly be a very interesting move to note. It’s likely something most Lions fans would be excited beyond belief about.

Chase Young Rumored Pick in Another Mock

The team might not have the fast track to landing Young, however, considering the Washington Redskins could be in the market to take Young with the No. 2 pick in the draft. Most experts have been mocking that exact outcome, but few have been so bold as to predict the Redskins either won’t take Young or will trade out of the spot.

MLive.com’s Kyle Meinke has gone rogue in his latest mock, predicting that the Redskins will trade out of No. 2 with the Miami Dolphins, who will select Tua Tagovailoa. In the pick before that, the Cincinnati Bengals select Joe Burrow. That leaves Young to slip into the Lions’ lap.

Here’s what Meinke wrote about how Detroit would approach a situation like this:

“Nobody stands to benefit from a run on quarterbacks more than Detroit, which already has a franchise quarterback playing at a high level. Of course, it still lost 12 games last year because of a near-historically bad defense. There was no bigger reason for that than their pass rush, which was among the league’s worst. This defense won’t work without better peformances [sic] up front, and Young just so happens to be the best pass rusher in this draft. Hell, he might be the best defensive prospect overall. As long as you have a quarterback in place, you don’t pass up the opportunity to lock in a playmaking pass rusher on a cost-controlled contract like this. Detroit won’t.”

Such a scenario would be a dream come true for the Lions, who need all the help they can get rushing the passer. Obviously, Young would be the biggest feather in their caps to do this, and someone vaulting Detroit to pick a quarterback would be just about the best scenario for the team.

Another Previous Mock Draft Sent Lions Chase Young

What if the Lions finished with the No. 3 pick and still managed to get Young? Most fans likely have not believed it could be the case, but would take that in a heartbeat, and it’s a scenario that was presented in a mock a few months vac 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 another 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.

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