Chase Young Wins NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year

It was a smash hit of a rookie season for Chase Young, the No. 2 overall pick, and the honors keep coming.

ASHBURN, Va. -- Chase Young, the Washington Football Team defensive end, is the NFL's AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

In the annual NFL Honors award show on Super Bowl Saturday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Young was honored for a rookie season that saw him win NFC Defensive Player of the Month and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for December.

READ MORE: Chase Wins Two Defensive Honors

He's not even 22 yet but in his first season in the NFL, Young racked up 7.5 sacks, 42 tackles, four pass deflections, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries and a touchdown. 

Washington DE Chase Young (@youngchase907) named AP Defensive Rookie of the Year pic.twitter.com/lWdCeg0vCt

— Washington Commanders PR (@Wash_PR) February 7, 2021

The Washington Football Team won seven games, and Young was huge in the run to a division title. 

He missed one full game and most of another after an injury suffered in Week 3 in Cleveland ... but that was the day that his leadership started to be displayed on center stage. 

Those leadership qualities led to Young being named a captain late in his first year, an unusual honor for a rookie who wasn't a quarterback. 

Speaking of quarterbacks, Young had 12 hits on opposing quarterbacks, ten hurries and six QB knockdowns after the throw. He only allowed 18 yards in pass coverage, while only being targeted three times. 

READ MORE: Doug Williams gets a new role

Young played 774 snaps, or 74% of the Washington defensive team snaps. 

Young's first playoff game against Tom Brady and the Bucs didn't exactly go as he wanted, but the best is clearly yet to come.