"It's a feeling I can't put in words I would say. I've been working for this my whole life, I started playing football when I was six. I'm really excited and blessed to be in this moment"
Tuesday 21 April 2020 21:36, UK
“God put together that guy," Urban Meyer said of Chase Young earlier this week. The former Ohio State head coach is a fan.
"He said, 'I'm going to make one of the best defensive ends to ever play college football,'" Meyer added in his interview with NBC Sport's JP Finlay. He's not wrong.
The presumptive No 2 pick at this year's NFL Draft chewed up and spit out offensive plays in venomous style last season, recording 46 tackles (21 for loss), 16.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles to earn unanimous All-American honours, Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year.
"Coach Meyer, that's my guy," Young told NBC's Mike Tirico. "One of the guys who always pushed me to play like I played this past year. And for me to go out and do it, it feels good just to achieve some of those things he always wanted me to."
The Heisman Trophy finalist, ranked as the best player in the draft by NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, is gearing up to celebrate his step up to the pro ranks.
Young had been planning to match Las Vegas' sumptuous draft back-drop with Gucci garments, but those plans have since changed in light of the draft's entirely virtual format as a result of COVID-19 social distancing measures.
"Gucci were supposed to do my suit, it's in Italy right now so I'll probably wear something by John Elliott, who's a designer out of California I believe," he explained.
"Basically I'm going to have 10 people in my house, because that's the limit, I'm going to have a drive-in with the rest of my family and friends outside of my house.
"I'm going to get a projector and put it on the side of my house and have like a drive-in so when I get drafted I can come outside. As long as you're six feet away everything will be okay. That's the plan right now."
It's been anything but the draft process prospects grow up imagining in their heads, the coronavirus pandemic having turned conventional pre-Draft visits into video call interviews.
Nevertheless, the fresh norm is yet to throw any complications in Young's direction when it comes to impressing general managers and head coaches, the edge rusher admitting learning how to work Zoom is "the biggest challenge of it all".
In a period of countless mock drafts and scouting profiles, what does a Chase Young sales pitch sound like?
"I would say, my mum raised me to be a respectful young man," he explained. "She taught me how to treat women and that's just meaning I'm a gentleman.
"I always respect authority, if you were the coach and you were to draft me I'd be coming in with intense focus, I'm a fierce competitor and I'm just ready to put my best foot forward and show the next level what I can do."
While the Redskins may be listening to interest from other teams in their No 2 pick, their love for this generational talent appears unwavering.
All arrows point to a homecoming for Young, who grew up close to FedExField in Prince George's County, Maryland, watching the likes of Santana Moss, Clint Portis and Sean Taylor as a self-admitted fan of players rather than a specific team.
"We [Young's family and friends] talk about it often," he said. "When we do talk about it we always say there are pros and cons to it.
"Pros, playing in front of my friends and family, close to home. Cons, you have to understand everyone in your area isn't rooting for you and isn't for you.
"When you have success you're going to have haters around you. I'm cool with it all, so I'm ready for whatever comes."
Quarterback Dwayne Haskins provides some Buckeyes familiarity in Washington having been drafted out of Ohio State at No 15 overall in 2019.
The 22-year-old has been at hand to offer some words of advice to his former college team-mate after a mixed rookie year.
Young continued: "He just said 'come in, be in your grind mood, put your head down and just be ready to go, as a young guy coming in soak up everything you can soak up because ultimately that's going to help you in your first year.'
"In regards to playing with the Redskins, obviously he wants me to get drafted by them so he's always talking about that."
If the build-up to the draft has felt slow, then draft week is sure to feel like an eternity for Young and his fellow prospects as they close in on a childhood dream. The set-up will be unprecedented, but the euphoria will be the same.
"It's definitely different, but it's a feeling I can't put in words I would say," said Young. "I've been working for this my whole life, I started playing football when I was six so I'm just going to have to wait until my name is called to really feel what that feeling is going to be like. I'm really excited and blessed to be in this moment."
Watch all three days of the 2020 NFL Draft unfold on Sky Sports, April 23-25 - starting with live build-up to day one from 10pm on Thursday, April 23 with the first picks expected to be made at 1am
