3 draft prospects with ties to Chase Young for Commanders
By Jerry Trotta
If you take a look at the Washington Commanders‘ roster, it’s full of players who hailed from Alabama and Ohio State. Between Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Terry McLaurin, Chase Young, Andrew Norwell and Cam Sims, the two FBS powerhouses are well-represented by the Commanders.
Of course, Alabama and Ohio State are two of the nation’s best recruiters, so they’ve become a breeding ground for NFL prospects. In the last two drafts, a whopping 14 Crimson Tide and Buckeyes players were taken in the first round.
Equipped with the No. 11 overall pick in this year’s showcase, the Commanders are well positioned to dip back into the Alabama and Ohio State pools.
Since Washington has taken Ohio State players (Young and Dwayne Haskins) with two of their last three first-round picks, we thought it’d be a good idea to highlight some of Young’s former teammates whom the Commanders could target in this year’s draft.
Let’s jump right in.
3 draft prospects with ties to Chase Young for Commanders
3. Jeremy Ruckert
A former four-star recruit, Ruckert is in a rare position to enjoy more success at the professional level than he ever did at Ohio State. After scoring a combined nine touchdowns in his previous two seasons, the former Buckeyes tight end managed just 26 catches for 309 yards and three touchdowns in 2021.
Those numbers are nothing to write home about, but it’s important to note he was playing in the same offense as Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, two of the top WRs in this year’s draft, and up-and-coming star Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Ruckert is an absolute horse as a run-blocker. In fact, he recorded nine big-time blocks this season, per Pro Football Focus. With compelling athletic traits, a fearlessness when it comes to making plays over the middle and a wrecking ball after the catch, Ruckert is a top-five TE prospect.
It remains to be seen how Ruckert will fare as a pass-catcher in the NFL, but he’s a prototypical redzone threat and will likely carve out a role as a zone-beater who bulldozes would-be tacklers in the open field and dominates as a run-blocker.
If Ruckert is still available in Round 4 — or the Commanders recoup the third-round pick they surrendered in the Carson Wentz trade — he’d be a great depth addition behind Logan Thomas and 2021 fourth-rounder John Bates.