Ohio State football star Chase Young has declared for the 2020 NFL Draft. The Buckeyes star defensive end and Heisman Trophy finalist announced his decision to forgo his final college eligibility in order to make the move to the National Football League.
Young is expected to be a top-three pick.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound junior from Hyattsville, Maryland announced his decision in a lengthy statement on social media.
“I am extremely grateful to everyone who helped me make it to this point,” Young said in a statement. “I give thanks and praise to God for blessing me with the ability to play football and the opportunity to be part of something bigger than myself. I love my family and am forever thankful for the unconditional love and support they have given me my entire life. I also couldn’t be more grateful to my coaches for all their leadership and constantly challenging me to get better. I wouldn’t be here without them. Finally, I can’t say enough about my teammates, who are the hardest working guys I’ve ever known. They will always be my brothers.
“Thank you to this great university and the entire state of Ohio for making me one of your own. I will never forget my time here and consider myself a Buckeye for life.”
#BednarikAwardDuring his final year at Ohio State, Young recorded 32 solo tackles, 6 forced fumbles, and a nation-leading 16.5 sacks.
Throughout his three-year career in Columbus, Young totaled 98 total tackles (68 solo), 40.5 tackles for a loss, 16.5 sacks, 8 passes defensed, and 9 forced fumbles.
The 2020 NFL Draft will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada from April 23 to April 25. Las Vegas edged out bids from cities like Denver, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Nashville, and Cleveland/Canton.
In recent years, the NFL has strayed from tradition and moved the draft out of New York City, where it had been held for years.
In 2015, the NFL Draft moved to Chicago, Illinois which marked the first time since 1965 that the draft was held outside of New York City. It was held at Auditorium Theatre in Grant Part which marked the first draft to feature an outdoor component. The draft returned to Chicago in 2016 after the great reception a year prior. In 2017, the draft shifted to Philadelphia where it was held on the iconic Rocky Steps outside of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was the most attended draft in NFL history with more than 250,000 fans.
Then, in 2018, the draft was held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas and it marked more NFL first’s. It was the first time in history that the draft was held in the state of Texas, while also being the first draft to take place in an NFL stadium. The 2019 NFL Draft was held in Nashville, Tennessee.
