One Washington Commanders draft bust — 1 of the most epic busts in franchise history — is creating a career renaissance that could lift him into the NFL’s elite players in his late 20s.
New Orleans Saints edge rusher Chase Young, Washington’s 2020 No. 2 overall pick, saw praise heaped on him by both Saints reporter Nick Underhill and The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov, who both believe he’s headed toward a “breakout season” at 27 years old.
“Saints DE Chase Young quietly had 10 sacks in 12 games last year, and he’s been wrecking camp this summer, looking like the Ohio State Chase Young we all knew when he was the No. 2 overall pick,” Meirov wrote on his official X account on Thursday.
“He’s back being who he’s supposed to be,” Underhill said.
Chase Young Could Have Incredible Career Arc
If Young ends up being an elite NFL edge rusher, it would represent an incredible career arc — 1 that saw him essentially sent to pasture just a few years ago.
Young came out of the gates like a man on fire, winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and helping lead his team into the playoffs in his 1st season with 44 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 10 TFL, 4 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 4 pass deflections, and 1 defensive touchdown.
Six years later, Young is still 1 of the NFL’s top-tier edge rushers — the problem was most of the time in between — but he’s somehow found his way back into elite status and big-money deals, just with the New Orleans Saints on a 3-year, $51 million contract ESPN’s Bill Barnwell praised in his annual NFL trade valuations list.
In between, he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers midway through the 2023 season for a 2024 3rd-round pick the Commanders eventually used on wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.
“Young had his best season as a pro (in 2026) racking up 10 sacks in 12 games for Brandon Staley’s defense,” Barnwell wrote. “If the once highly touted prospect can keep that up this season, his $17 million salary would be a relative bargain.”
Chase Young Praised for Breakout Season
After securing the first big-time payday of his career, Young delivered the best season of his career with 10.0 sacks in just 12 games for the Saints, who were one of the NFL’s most-improved teams down the stretch under rookie head coach Kellen Moore.
Now, Young’s deal is being singled out as one of the NFL’s “Best Free Agent Signings” of the 2025 cycle by PFF’s Bradley Locker.
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