Ron Rivera compares Chase Young to former Carolina Panthers great

Ron Rivera had high praise for No. 2 overall pick Chase Young in a recent interview, comparing him to former Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers.

Former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera knows a thing or two about working with formidable pass-rushers in the NFL. This something that was a prominent feature during his time with the organization. And it played a leading role in the success he had before things tailed off over his final two seasons.

The coach, who spent nine seasons with the Carolina Panthers, will also be working with a potential generational talent during his first season in Washington. They managed to take former Ohio State phenom Chase Young at No. 2 overall. And he comes into the NFL with an All-Pro ceiling.

Rivera recently told the team’s official website that he sees Young as a mini version of Julius Peppers, who was a second overall selection by the Panthers and went on to become one of the NFL’s most dominant players getting to the quarterback.

This is high praise for a player that has yet to play a down in the pros. But Young has the scope to be the best player of the 2020 class with a supreme skill set that is going to be prominent from the moment he steps onto the field.

"“He’s not quite as big as Julius was. He’s built like him; he’s a mini version of him. He’s got a little bit more of that initial explosion. Julius was very long and his explosion was good, but because of his length it seemed even better than it really, truly was. I mean Julius was phenomenal, and this is a young man who could be that type of player.”"

Can Chase Young reach the ceiling of former Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers?

While it might be unrealistic for Young to look at Peppers’ phenomenal career stats initially. There is nothing to suggest that the pass-rusher cannot make a similar impact in the years to come.

Peppers almost single-handedly changed the fortunes of the Carolina Panthers from a defensive standpoint. Although he had a spell away from the franchise with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. There is little doubt that the defensive end is one of the best players to ever put on a Panthers’ uniform.

He looks an almost certainty to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the near future. And there is a potential this can come during his first year of eligibility. Pepper was a three-time first-team All-Pro selection, went to nine Pro Bowls, and was named to the NFL’s All-Decade team in the 2000s and 2010s.

Upon his retirement in 2018, Pepper ranked No. 4 on the NFL’s all-time sack list with 159.5. Rivera might have put some pressure on Young with such a comparison. But this is a further reflection of just how high hopes are regarding the incoming prospect.

Setting the bar this high for Young is setting him up to fail. He is already coming into the NFL with a huge bullseye on his back. But this could prove the making of him as Rivera looks to build once again around an exceptional pass-rusher.