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Redskins full NFL first-round mock: Is Chase Young the one?

By Ian Cummings

COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 17: Chase Young #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks on prior to the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field on November 17, 2018 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 17: Chase Young #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks on prior to the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field on November 17, 2018 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 29: Julian Okwara #42 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on from the sideline in the second half against the Clemson Tigers during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 29: Julian Okwara #42 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on from the sideline in the second half against the Clemson Tigers during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Edge Rusher. Atlanta Falcons. Julian Okwara. 5. player. 44.

This pick is weird. That was deliberate. There’s always at least one weird pick in the NFL Draft. In 2019, mocks after mocks had Clelin Ferrell going in the 15-30 range, and on draft night, the Oakland Raiders came out and took him at No. 4.

At the time, the pick was met with mass confusion, but the Raiders didn’t look back, and now, Ferrell is coming off a 2.5-sack performance against the Los Angeles Chargers. The bottom line is, if a team thinks a prospect is worth the pick at a certain juncture, they’ll take him, regardless of what others think.

Julian Okwara has been lingering around EDGE3-EDGE5 in rankings this year, but he has the physical traits to rise as the year goes on. He got national attention after his three-sack performance against the Virginia Cavaliers, and in that game, he showcased his incredibly enticing blend of burst, bend, and length.

It appears as though the Falcons have swung and missed twice with smaller speed rushers. Vic Beasley has been incredibly quiet since his stellar 2016 campaign, and Takkarist McKinley has just half a sack through the first half of 2019. The Falcons need an infusion of talent at edge, and this time, they need a player who has all the unteachable traits: Explosiveness, athleticism, length, bend. That’s Okwara, and although he needs a lot of seasoning, if he spends the rest of the year displaying his potential, teams may be willing to take a risk on him.

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