The Redskins have spent the last several years under the notion that they are the ‘Alabama North’ of the NFL, not due to their success rate, but rather their personnel. With a number of former Crimson Tide players on the current roster, such as Daron Payen, Jonathan Allen, Landon Collins, and Ryan Anderson, Washington has been able to keep a steady connection to one of the best football programs in all of college football.
Now, though, they might be turning into the ‘Ohio State East’ of the NFL, considering the recent trend of draft picks over the last couple of years. With players like Dwayne Haskins, Terry McLaurin, and now potentially Chase Young, there is a new shade of red setting up shop in Landover, MD.
This run of former Buckeyes not only keeps a relationship between young players as they enter the NFL, but it also allows members of the Redskins to offer insights on draft prospects who they played with in college. The San Francisco 49ers drafted Nick Bosa, a DE out of Ohio State this past year, and now they’re in the Super Bowl. McLaurin sees Young having a similar effect on the Redskins, should he be drafted there.
“Chase has those same intangibles, just the physical gifts that he has,” McLaurin said, via the Redskins Talk podcast. “He’s probably a more solid Montez Sweat. You see how big Montez is, so to have another guy on the edge like that, I think this is just a really unique opportunity.”
The Redskins drafted Sweat in the first round of the 2019 draft, and he had a solid rookie year, finishing the season with seven sacks. Now, Washington will have the option to pair another DE with him in the first round, following along the footsteps of what the 49ers have done in the recent drafts.
“I trust the front office to make the best decision for our team,” McLaurin said.
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