2020 NFL Draft: First-Round 2020 NFL mock draft with counterintuitive picks throughout

The New York Giants may have re-signed defensive end Markus Golden a one-year deal and given Leonard Williams the franchise tag during free-agency. But a talent like Chase Young wasn’t going to stay on the 2020 NFL Draft board very long, even if a team has two solid starting edge rushers.

Since 2018, the Ohio State product has shown the football world why he deserves to be so highly regarded. Young had 27 sacks in the last two seasons, including seven forced fumbles in 2019. Watching Young on film is like looking at an NFL player, who snuck on the field in a college team’s jersey and decided to play. Young has all the physical traits and skills NFL teams are looking for.

In this scenario, Young fell in the draft because elite edge rushers, while valued by the NFL, are just not as valuable as teams think. It is one thing if the rest of the defensive line is stacked alongside him. But most teams drafting towards the bottom have defensive lines that are just not as advanced as Young is. Therefore, he won’t be nearly as effective at pass rushing on a bad defensive line.

The Giants are one of the few bottom five teams in the draft that this will not apply to. The team has prioritized the defensive line during the last few seasons, giving Young a good chance to be productive during his rookie season. Young would be able to excel with the Giants, in a way he would not be able to on any other team drafting in the top ten.

Besides, general manager Dave Gettleman loves the flashy, big-name players at the top of the draft. Saquon Barkley is the ultimate example of this; a player with elite running back traits straight out of college. On a team where all that talent made little difference in creating wins since the rest of the roster required a complete rebuild.

No way Young gets past this point in the 2020 NFL Draft. He is too talented to fall too far in the first round.