ESPN projects Miami Hurricanes DE Greg Rousseau as next Chase Young

Miami Hurricanes defensive end Greg Rousseau was one of the rising stars in college football in 2019. The rising redshirt sophomore has a chance to be the best pass rusher in the country in 2019 as projected by ESPN.

Ohio State junior defensive end Chase Young is expected to be the second pick in 2020 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. Young led the country in sacks in 2019. Miami Hurricanes rising redshirt sophomore defensive end Greg Rousseau finished second. Rousseau should be a stand out at the 2021 NFL Combine.

In an article posted on ESPN.Com Friday morning the question “Which college football players could stand out at the 2021 NFL combine.” Rousseau is the second defensive player on the board for ESPN after Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons. The 6’6 253 Rousseau had a breakout season for the Miami Hurricanes in 2019.

Rousseau finished the 2019 season with 54 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. He was nearly unblockable. Rousseau was part of a defense that was the last stand for former Florida State coach Willie Taggart who was fired a few days after a 27-10 loss to Miami.

Rousseau and rising junior Brevin Jordan are projected to be the first first-round picks from Miami in five years in the 2021 NFL Draft. Rosseau is a force with the versatility that NFL teams want from a pass rusher. He has freakish athleticism at his size. Rousseau played wide receiver and safety in high school.

"“Then again, the next Chase Young could be: Miami’s Gregory RousseauWhat Young just did (21.5 TFLs, 16.5 sacks, three pass breakups and seven forced fumbles) sets an incredibly high bar for a redshirt sophomore, but look at what Rousseau accomplished during his first full season at Miami: 15.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss, team-high seven quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.His sacks total ties for second in team history, and his tackles for loss total marks the highest at Miami since 2006. A repeat performance or one with even better numbers will make a jump to the NFL a virtual certainty. Rousseau even has a similar frame to Young at 6-foot-7 and 253 pounds.He will receive much more attention from opponents this fall, and could be a featured player at next year’s combine.”"

Rousseau will team with Temple graduate transfer Quincy Roche and former UCLA transfer Jaelan Phillips to give Miami one of the pass rushes in FBS. Roche was the 2019 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Phillips was the top recruit in the nation in 2017.

Roche finished 2019 with 48 tackles, 19 TFLs, 13 tackles for loss and five pass breakups. He will almost certainly join Rosseau in Indianapolis. Phillips will have a decision to make at the end of the 2020 season. He could leave for the NFL as a redshirt junior or choose to stay at Miami, get healthy and be productive in 2021.

Rosseau could be a top 10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He would be the first Miami football player selected that high since Ereck Flowers went ninth to the New York Giants in 2015. Jordan projects lower in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft than Rousseau. Former Wide receiver Phillip Dorsett went 29th to Indianapolis in 2015.