Tomlin loves Chase Young, but not price he'd pay to draft him originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The 2019 season was a dreadful one for the Washington Football Team. It finished with just three wins and had no victories inside the NFC East.
But, what Washington's 3-13 record turned into was the second overall pick in the 2020 draft, where it nabbed a player many experts considered a generational prospect in Chase Young. Thus far in 2020, Young has been as good as advertised.
Ahead of Washington's game against the Steelers on Monday, Young had an exchange with Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin. The head coach showed plenty of respect for the rookie's game, but also told him that he hopes the Steelers are never in a position to draft a guy like Young.
"I don't ever want to lose enough games to get a guy like you," Tomlin told Young. "You know what I mean? And I play against you all the time. Because you got to lose 14 or 15 games to get a guy like you."
After hearing that from Tomlin, Young laughed a little and nodded his head. The entire sequence was captured by NFL Films.
Tomlin is correct in his assessment. Experts had known for close to a year, if not longer, that Young was going to be a top selection in the 2020 NFL Draft before he was even selected.
Heck, Young probably would have been the first choice had the Bengals not needed a quarterback.
If the first 14 years of Tomlin's coaching career are any indication, the head coach will get his wish. Tomlin has never finished below .500 in any season and has finished nine different campaigns with 10 or more wins.
But on Monday, Tomlin saw first-hand what a guy like Young can do on the football field.
The rookie didn't record a sack in Washington's 23-17 upset victory over Pittsburgh, but showed up in several other ways on the field, including a touchdown-saving tackle on fourth-and-goal.
As long as Tomlin stays in Pittsburgh, the Steelers are likely to be well out of the conversation for a top draft pick. But the head coach saw on Monday just how much of a difference someone like Young can make on the field.
