Ohio State's Chase Young Wins 2019 Bednarik Award for Best Defensive Player

Missing two games due to a suspension was not enough to stop Chase Young from being named the nation's top defensive player.

The Ohio State defensive end was named the 2019 Bednarik Award winner at Thursday's college football awards show. 

Young, who will likely compete with Joe Burrow to be the No. 1 overall pick in April's NFL draft, recorded 44 tackles and 16.5 sacks during the regular season while also being named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

The junior already took home the Ted Hendricks Award as the best collegiate defensive end and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's best defensive player as voted by the Football Writers Association of America.

He will also be among four finalists for the Heisman Trophy, which is widely expected to go to LSU's Burrow.

"The only thing that would allow me to go to the Heisman [ceremony] is my play," Young told reporters before the Big Ten Championship Game. "I feel like if I talk about it, it doesn't really mean too much. I feel like it's based on what I do on the field. If I go out and have a good game, it'll help. But if I go out and don't have a good game, all the talking I did really doesn't say anything because I didn't do it on the field. I feel like it's not even about talking. It's about ball."

Young was suspended for two games for an NCAA violation related to accepting a loan for his girlfriend to attend a bowl game last season. If it weren't for those pair of missed contests, it's possible that Young would have gone on the short list of greatest defensive seasons in recent NCAA history. 

As it stands, he'll enter the NFL as arguably the biggest can't-miss prospect since Jadeveon Clowney.