Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young is in town as one of the finalists for the Heisman Trophy this weekend, the first defensive player to be considered for the award since Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers in 2015.
Young has been a beast throughout his college career and is being compared to some of the greats who have come before him. Since the New York Giants will be at the top of the NFL Draft order come next April, there is plenty of talk that the defensive-starved Giants have him very high on their wish list.
When it comes to sacking the quarterback, the Giants have a rich history: Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and, yes, the peerless Lawrence Taylor, who some believe Young reminds them of.
Former NFL offensive line coach Paul Alexander and Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt have compared certain qualities in him to that of Giants Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor.
“That’s crazy, man — crazy — that’s one of the greats,” Young said. “It’s almost like I don’t even want to [be compared to Taylor] because then if I don’t play to that expectation, then [it will be a letdown]. But nah, it’s cool, man.
“I’m just going to continue to do what I do and continue to try to be the best football player I can be.”
Currently, the 2-11 Giants hold the No. 2 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. They are one game behind the 1-13 Cincinnati Bengals and one game ahead of the 3-10 Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins, who are coincidentally the Giants’ opponents in their next two games.
Young would give any defense a huge boost and no player in this draft can help put these sad Giants back on the map more than he can. Young led the nation in sacks this year (16.5) with 21 tackles for loss, three passes defensed and six forced fumbles. All of this while missing two games due to a suspension for violating an NCAA policy by accepting a loan.
The Giants don’t really care much about that. They’d probably loan him money right now if it would help their chances in landing him.
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