Redskins: Dissecting the narratives surrounding the 2020 NFL Draft

No. 3 – “Chase Young is the only option at No. 2”

You won’t hear many bad things said about Young, simply because there aren’t many bad things to say. I try to be an impartial informant for you guys when it comes to the NFL Draft. If there was a reason to be worried about drafting Young, I’d let you know.

There is a reason to be worried about becoming fixated on Young, however. He’s my top choice at No. 2, but he’s not the only option at No. 2, as much as some like to claim he is. There are other prospects with elite potential at the top of the 2020 NFL Draft, and as synonymous as Young and the Redskins have been at No. 2, there’s a chance one of these players could be considered as well.

Clemson DEF Isaiah Simmons

If the NFL Draft is about projecting what players can be, then there’s no reason Isaiah Simmons shouldn’t be in the conversation at No. 2, or in a slight trade down from that position. He’s an uber-athlete at 6-foot-4, 230, with 4.39 speed, a 39-inch vertical, and outrageous length to combine with those traits.

Check out this allotment of clips, in which Simmons shows his ability to stay with receivers in stride in man coverage, as well as use his range to make plays as a single-high defender. He’s a playmaker through and through, and for a defensive coordinator that would know how to use him, he could be a game wrecker in the modern NFL.

He can also rush the passer fairly well, as evidenced below. Now, of course, Simmons makes a less consistent impact on tape than Young, and that’s because he’s primarily an off-ball player who isn’t directly attacking the ball on every play. Young’s positional value is inherently greater, and that’ll factor into any evaluation. But Simmons, for his sheer upside, is a potentially elite addition.

Ohio State CB Jeffrey Okudah

The Redskins have a dire need at cornerback, which means picking the top cornerback in the 2020 NFL Draft should automatically be a considered option. Check out Okudah’s combination of length, fluidity, closing speed, and moxie in coverage. He’s a fast, physical player who, like his teammate on the line, checks almost every box for a prospect at his position.

There are others, especially if the Redskins trade back, but the case to be made is that, as good as Chase Young may be, there are other very good prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft who deserve consideration just as he does. Any argument about picking someone other than Young isn’t going to be about Young; it’s going to be about what these other guys bring to the table. Because they bring a lot, too.

One should never get tunnel vision on just one player. It’s about looking at all of them, and then coming to a conclusion about who best fills the team’s need for value. Conclusions will vary, but the process should be all-encompassing and without bias, regardless.