Stephen A. Smith: 'I've Been Told' Redskins Will Draft Chase Young over Tua, QBs

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reported Thursday on First Take that the Washington Redskins are targeting Ohio State defensive end Chase Young with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Smith said: "I've been told that the Washington Redskins are not going to touch [Alabama quarterback] Tua [Tagovailoa] because they're going after Chase Young. That's what [owner] Daniel Snyder wants them to do. And they're not drafting a quarterback."

The Redskins took quarterback Dwayne Haskins out of Ohio State 15th overall last year.

Haskins appeared in nine games and made seven starts last season, going 2-5. He completed 58.6 percent of his passes for 1,365 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions, while also rushing for 101 yards.

While those numbers don't leap off the page, he got better as the season went on and threw two touchdowns with no interceptions in each of his final two starts.

A new coaching staff is in place, led by head coach Ron Rivera, and Bruce Allen is out as team president, which means there may not be much attachment to Haskins within the organization aside from Snyder.

Given Haskins' untapped potential, however, it would make sense to give him another development year, especially since the Redskins have a chance to select a player who could be one of the best pass-rushers to enter the NFL in years.

Chase Young Sack

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Young led the nation with 16.5 sacks last season after recording 10.5 the previous year, and he finished 2019 with a remarkable 21 tackles for loss.

The Redskins already have a talented defense, but Young could take it from good to great, which may appeal to a defensive-minded coach like Rivera.

With a dominant defense in place, much of the pressure would be off Haskins, and he may not have to play from behind quite as much as he did during his rookie season.

It is widely expected that the Cincinnati Bengals will take LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick, which would leave Tagovailoa, Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert and Utah State quarterback Jordan Love on the board for Washington to consider.

Any of them could become great NFL quarterbacks, but Young seems like more of a sure thing, and he fills a more immediate need for the Redskins.