Chase Young's move to the San Francisco 49ers from the Washington Commanders has put him in an advantageous position. The 49ers are poised to make the most of the fourth-year defensive end's talents.
NFL analyst Brian Baldinger is confident that the 24-year-old pass rusher will thrive in his new environment. The 49ers hope Young provides enough of a boost to help the team rebound from three consecutive losses and regain their winning form.
"I think he starts right away," Baldinger said Tuesday morning on 95.7 The Game. "I think he starts against Jacksonville."
The Jaguars will host the 49ers on Sunday. Both teams should be well-rested, coming off their bye weeks. Young has the potential to make an immediate impact for the 49ers.
"Whoever lines up against Anton Harrison, the rookie right tackle, I mean, they better eat," Baldinger continued. "A lot of people have. This is a guy, they should win that battle. Jacksonville's got a very good offense, and a quarterback that is playing awesome, but that's a rookie out there, and I saw Chris Jones eat him alive. I've seen teams attack him.
"And so I would expect Chase to start. I mean, I think he's an upgrade. His movement is elite."
While Young has a lot of natural talent, Baldinger believes the pass rusher could refine his technique further in Santa Clara, honing that talent. Young has already secured five sacks this season, outperforming every other 49ers player. Imagine what he could do with superb coaching, something the NFL analyst believes he will receive.
"I think he needs to learn a lot," Baldinger explained. "I think Coach [Kris] Kocurek can really help him. I think he needs to learn a lot about pass rush. I think he has relied on his athletic ability for too long, which is considerable. Because if the quarterback gets flushed, Chase can literally chase. He can chase with some of the best of them in this business, and that's when he kind of comes alive.
"But if you're saying line up, put your hand in the ground and come off the ball and go beat your tackle one on one, he has not been able to do that consistently. In fact, Warren Sapp worked with him in training camp this year. He was a stand-up two-point pass rusher, and Sapp's like, 'Put your hand in the ground like a jet, and take off.'
"When he does that, he's better, but he says he doesn't see as well when his hand is down and doesn't see what's going on behind the line of scrimmage. I mean, I understand there's restrictions and limitations, but I think Kocurek can really work with him to get the most out of him."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Baldinger below.