Chase Young
A defensive force who redefined the edge rusher position with a record-breaking college season that made him a top NFL draft pick.
Born 1999 (age 27)·American football player·Birthday: April 14·Generation Z
Biography
Chase Young exploded onto the national scene not just as a talented athlete, but as a defensive phenomenon. Growing up in Maryland, his athletic prowess was evident early, but it was at Ohio State University where he forged his legacy. The 2019 season saw Young not merely playing football; he dominated it, terrorizing offensive lines and shattering the Buckeyes' single-season sack record. That year, his name was mentioned alongside the Heisman Trophy, a rarity for a defensive player. Drafted second overall by the Washington Commanders in 2020, his immediate impact earned him Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. While injuries later created challenges, his move to the San Francisco 49ers for a Super Bowl run and subsequent signing with the New Orleans Saints underscore his enduring reputation as a game-changing pass rusher whose mere presence alters an opponent's game plan.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Chase was born in 1999, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chase Was Born
The biggest hits of 1999
#1 Movie
Star Wars: Episode I
Best Picture
American Beauty
#1 TV Show
ER
Chase's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1999Born
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2004Started school
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2012Became a teenager
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2015Could drive
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2017Could vote
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2020Turned 21
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 27 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 after being drafted second overall.
- Set the Ohio State single-season sack record with 16.5 in 2019, earning unanimous All-American status.
- Became a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2019, one of the few primarily defensive players to achieve that recognition.
- Recorded a sack in his first professional playoff game with the San Francisco 49ers in the 2023 season.
Did You Know?
He was a high school teammate of quarterback Dwayne Haskins at DeMatha Catholic High School.
Young wore the number 2 at Ohio State, which is unusual for a defensive lineman, as a tribute to a former high school teammate.
He won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award in the same dominant 2019 season.
“I just want to be the best. When I'm done playing, I want them to say, 'He was one of the best to do it.'”
