Chase Young
This could be the easiest pick on the board, and considering the Redskins were 10th in the league with 46 sacks, it doesn’t have much to do with a particular need. No, this instead has everything to do with the special talent of Young, who has one of the highest grades I’ve given a player in two decades of scouting. Last year’s No. 2 pick and former Buckeyes teammate Nick Bosa was a difference-maker in Year 1, but the scary truth is that Young is an even better prospect. He can line up opposite Montez Sweat at defensive end or drop back into a 3-4 outside linebacker role. It doesn’t matter — Young will be in the face of opposing quarterbacks every Sunday. He led the nation with 16.5 sacks in 2019, and he missed two games.
Jeff Okudah
The Lions had the NFL’s worst pass defense, allowing 284.4 yards through the air per game, and tied for a league-worst seven interceptions. Darius Slay is 29 years old, Justin Coleman fits better in a nickel role and Rashaan Melvin is a free agent, so Detroit might look to address cornerback with a first-round pick for the first time since 1998 (Terry Fair). Okudah has the size, versatility, quickness and athleticism to be a No. 1 corner in the NFL. Detroit has to fix its porous defense, and getting a high-end defensive back like Okudah here is certainly a good place to start.
J.K. Dobbins
Watching Damien Williams scamper for a 38-yard Super Bowl-clinching touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, you might not remember that the six-year vet led the Chiefs in rushing in 2019 … with 498 yards. Indeed, the high-octane Kansas City offense ran through the arm of Patrick Mahomes, leaving a No. 23-ranked run game averaging less than 100 yards per game in its wake. Williams flashed at times, and 2019 sixth-rounder Darwin Thompson has promise, but coach Andy Reid covets a unique playmaker like Dobbins at the position. Dobbins is tough to bring down and quick when he hits the hole, breaking 2,000 rushing yards this past season and scoring 21 times on the ground. There isn’t any cornerback value here (maybe LSU’s Kristian Fulton), so even with three key players at the position hitting free agency, I’m opting to catch the run game up with Mahomes’ unstoppable passing attack.