Ohio State Football: Buckeyes could have consecutive Rookies of the Year
By David Wysong
Former defensive end for the Ohio State football team Nick Bosa was this year’s NFL Rookie of the Year. Could another Buckeye get the award next year?
San Francisco 49er defensive end and former defensive end for the Ohio State football team Nick Bosa was this year’s Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year and the PFWA Rookie of the Year after having a stellar first year in the NFL. In 16 regular season games Bosa had 47 tackles and nine sacks. He also had four sacks in the playoffs.
It really was a magical year for the former Buckeye as he helped lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl, but could Ohio State have another former player follow in Bosa’s footsteps and win next year’s rookie of the year awards?
The answer is simple – yes.
Bosa was terrific in a Buckeye uniform, getting 8.5 sacks his sophomore year and four in three games during his junior year, but there was recently a defensive end that was even more dominant – Chase Young.
Young had a solid sophomore campaign, racking up 10.5 sacks, but he really became a star this past year as he had 16.5 sacks – an Ohio State single-season record – and ultimately became the first Buckeye defensive player ever to be named as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
So, where could Young land in the 2020 NFL Draft?
Many mock drafts have him going at No. 2 to the Washington Redskins and while the Redskins have a long history of being bad, this landing spot could really help him flourish.
The Redskins are in the NFC East and they face the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles each twice a year. Well, Giants QB Daniel Jones was sacked the ninth-most times in the NFL this past season as he went down 38 times, and that was only in 12 starts and 13 games in total. Also, Eagles QB Carson Wentz went down the 12th-most times as he was sacked 37 times.
Both Wentz and Jones were already sacked a lot during this past season and that is without having to face a player like Chase Young twice a season. That doesn’t bode well for them.
Next. Breaking down the depth chart, offensive line. dark
There are a lot of reasons why Young could be the second consecutive Buckeye to win the NFL Rookie of the Year Award – his work ethic, his athleticism, his strength, etc. – but I think a big reason will be the landing spot. Either way, I think Young will be a monster in the NFL and will continue to prove that Ohio State is Defensive End University.