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Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top edge defenders in the NFL, from 1-32. Khalil Mack of the Chicago Bears topped the list at No. 1.
But where did reigning NFL defensive rookie of the year Chase Young rank?
PFF has Young ranked No. 8 in its top 32, and the Washington star was especially good in the red zone.
The scary part when analyzing Young’s first season in the NFL is that there is still clear room for improvement from a pass-rushing perspective. And Young still got out to an 87.1 overall grade as a rookie, fifth in the NFL among qualifying edge defenders.
He was at his best in the red zone. Young’s 93.3 overall grade last season in that portion of the field led all players at the position.
As you may know, Young isn’t Washington’s only standout edge defender. Montez Sweat, a first-round pick in 2019, has 16 sacks in his first two years in the NFL.
Where did he rank?
Sweat came in at No. 17 in PFF’s list.
Few edge defenders improved more from 2019 to 2020 than Sweat did in his second year in the NFL. His 87.0 run-defense grade last season ranked third at the position behind only Khalil Mack and T.J. Watt, and he bumped up his pressure count from 32 as a rookie to 47 in 2020. Sweat also stood out as one of the best defensive linemen in the league at getting his hands into throwing lanes when rushing the passer. His six batted passes last year ranked second at the position.
Six teams had at least two edge defenders on the list. However, no pair ranked higher than Washington’s two prized pass-rushers. The next closest was the Arizona Cardinals with J.J. Watt and Chandler Jones.
The Washington Football Team won the NFC East in 2020 because of their defense. That defense should be even better in 2021 as Young and Sweat lead the way.