The NFL Draft is April 23-25. Each day leading up to the first round, the Tribune-Review is compiling a positional preview of the top draft prospects.
1. Chase Young
Ohio State, 6-5, 264
Young is the best athlete in the draft and almost assuredly will be property of the Redskins after the Bengals take quarterback Joe Burrow with the top pick. Young was the most dominant defensive player last season when he led the nation with 161/2 sacks and six forced fumbles. He also tied for fourth in FBS with 21 tackles for loss. Young brought home his share of hardware, earning the Maxwell, Bednarik, Hendricks and Nagurski awards. Young was a second-team all-Big Ten pick as a sophomore when he had 101/2 sacks and 151/2 tackles for loss.
2. K’Lavon Chaisson
LSU, 6-3, 254
Chaisson missed the 2018 season after tearing his ACL in the opener, but he rebounded nicely as a redshirt sophomore. Chaisson led LSU with 131/2 tackles for loss and he had 61/2 sacks among his 60 tackles. Chaisson started three games as a freshman and had two sacks and 41/2 tackles for loss. Chaisson won’t turn 21 until July.
3. Yetur Gross-Matos
Penn State, 6-5, 266
With the possibility of being a first-round pick too good to pass up, Gross-Matos left State College after his junior season. Gross-Matos was named to the Big Ten first-team last season when totaled 91/2 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. He was nearly as productive as a sophomore when he was named Penn State’s defensive lineman of the year after recording eight sacks and 20 tackles for loss.
4. A.J. Epenesa
Iowa, 6-5, 275
Epenesa started just one season at Iowa, but he made the most of it as the junior defensive end had 111/2 sacks, four forced fumbles and 141/2 tackles for loss in 13 games. He was a first-team selection in the Big Ten and second-team All-American. Although he didn’t start as a sophomore, he forced his way onto the field as a reserve and had a conference-high 10.5 sacks while leading Iowa with 161/2 tackles for loss.
5. Terrell Lewis
Alabama, 6-5, 262
Injuries were an issue for Lewis during his stay at Alabama. He missed 10 games in 17 because of an upper arm injury, and he sat out the 2018 season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL that summer. Lewis, though, put a nice finishing touch on his college career by recording six sacks and 111/2 tackles for loss in 2019, earning second-team all-SEC honors.
6. Julian Okwara
Notre Dame, 6-4, 252
Okwara’s best season in South Bend came in 2018 when he led the Fighting Irish with 121/2 tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with eight sacks. Okwara followed up with four sacks and two forced fumbles in nine games last season before a broken left fibula ended his senior season. Okwara also contributed for the Fighting Irish in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
7. Josh Uche
Michigan, 6-1, 245
Another prospect who projects as a 3-4 outside linebacker, Uche was a late bloomer at Ann Arbor. After not starting any games in his first three seasons, Uche broke into the starting lineup in 2019. He started nine times in 13 games and led Michigan with 81/2 sacks. He also had 111/2 tackles for loss, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles. Uche had seven sacks as a junior despite not making any starts. He also contributed on defense in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
8. Curtis Weaver
Boise State, 6-2, 265
Weaver capped his stay at Boise State by being named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. He totaled 131/2 sacks, 181/2 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and one interception. Weaver also was named a second-team All-American. Weaver had 11 sacks as a freshman and vaulted into a first-team all-conference player as a sophomore when he led Boise State with 15 tackles for loss and 91/2 sacks.
9. Jonathan Greenard
Florida, 6-3 263
Greenard spent one season in The Swamp as a graduate transfer after getting his degree at Louisville. He had a team-high 151/2 tackles for loss in addition to 91/2 sacks in 12 starts en route to earning a first-team all-SEC designation. In 2018, Greenard suffered a season-ending right wrist injury in the season opener and then elected to transfer once coach Bobby Petrino was fired. Greenard led Louisville with 151/2 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2017.
10. Darrell Taylor
Tennessee, 6-4, 267
Taylor was Tennessee’s best pass rusher, accumulating 81/2 sacks and 10 tackles for loss last season as a redshirt senior. That was a repeat of his productive junior season when he led the defense with 11 tackles for loss and had eight sacks and three forced fumbles. Taylor also started seven games as a sophomore and contributed three sacks.
Best fit for Steelers
Josh Uche, Michigan
It’s no secret general manager Kevin Colbert and coach Mike Tomlin like Michigan defenders, and Uche would join former Wolverines linebacker Devin Bush with the Steelers. Colbert considers the outside linebacker/edge rusher group to be deep, and he could be tempted to find Bud Dupree’s successor in the second or third round.
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