Chase Young to be focal point for Redskins at NFL scouting combine

Each year, the NFL scouting combine extends far beyond 40-yard dashes, three-cone drills and the host of other tests that teams put draft prospects through as part of the evaluation process. That all can take a back seat to what feels like the most important element of the combine — the gossip.

In dimly lit bars and the hallways of a convention center, coaches, agents, scouts executives and reporters all trade information, every rumor that fuels the NFL’s news cycle. All parties are desperate to be in the know.

And this year, with the combine set to begin Tuesday in Indianapolis, one of the key topics sure to be discussed is whether the Washington Redskins will seriously consider trading the No. 2 pick — and the presumed chance to draft Ohio State pass rusher and DeMatha Catholic product Chase Young.

Young has been hailed by experts as a generational talent. But coming off a 3-13 season, the Redskins have a long list of needs, ones that could theoretically be filled by trading back and recouping extra draft capital.

Let the chatter begin.

“I just don’t trade off of elite edge rushers,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “You have a need there at the position, (and) those guys are hard to find. So to get a player like that you would have to blow my doors off to get me to trade off that pick, if I was the Washington Redskins.”

Jeremiah, like many draft experts, view Young as the best player in this year’s draft, even over LSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow. At 6-foot-5, Young overwhelms opposing tackles with explosive speed and has an array of pass-rush moves to get to the quarterback. Last fall, the 20-year-old dominated with the Buckeyes, recording 16 ½ sacks and six forced fumbles.

It’s why if the Redskins were to actually trade the pick, Jeremiah said, they would need at least multiple first-round picks and “some sugar” to make it worth it. For example, should Washington trade back to No. 5, Young would almost certainly be gone by then.

The Redskins likely can’t find a trade that would net them additional picks and still have a chance to select Young.

“You’re going to have to get a heck of a haul to do that,” Jeremiah said of trading back.

After Young, there is a separate tier of defenders that are considered game-changers, though they lack Young’s overall talent. Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah is viewed as this year’s best defensive back, a major position of need for Washington. Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons, Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown and South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw are also realistic options to go within the top eight of the draft. Young and the other defensive linemen and linebackers will work out at the combine Saturday.

Outside of defense, this year’s crop of tackles is heavy at the top, a position that could make sense for Washington if it can’t repair its relationship with left tackle Trent Williams. Draft experts like Jeremiah and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler see wide receiver and cornerback as stacked positions.

But none of those players carry the same sort of appeal as Young, whom Washington will have a chance to draft barring a massive upset. The Cincinnati Bengals, holding the first pick, are seen as a lock to take Burrow.

Redskins defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has said his defensive scheme starts with “penetrative, disruptive defensive linemen.” As a coordinator and coach, Del Rio has thrived with star pass rushers like Von Miller, Khalil Mack and Julius Peppers — the latter of whom Young is often compared.

Experts see Young as the type of talent capable of unlocking the rest of the defense.

“He’s going to win his one-on-ones when he gets them, but he’s going to create so many double and triple teams his way it’s going to be able to let the other guys eat a little bit,” Jeremiah said. “When you can pair him up, look at Washington and Montez Sweat.

“Montez Sweat is going to see nothing but one-on-ones, and he’s going to have a chance for a huge year if this is the pairing that ends up coming together.”