Steve Young: Jonathan Baldwin Is The Next Terrell Owens

Hall of Fame QB Steve Young is heaping high praise on the Kansas City Chiefs 2011 draft class and has called first round pick Jonathan Baldwin “the next Terrel Owens.”

Speaking on the ESPN football show “Audibles,” Young was very clear that he loves what the Chiefs did in the draft.

“Jonathan Baldwin is the next Terrell Owens,” Young said. “They got Ricky Stanzi in the fifth;he’s the next Matt Schaub. Rodney Hudson, he’s a great, versatile offensive guard. I thought the Kansas City Chiefs got exactly what they wanted.”

Wow. That is some serious praise coming from a pretty credible source.

More after the jump.

Young should know what he is talking about when comparing Baldwin and Owens. Young was the QB when the 49ers drafted Owens in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Owens played sparingly in his first season behind Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice. In 1997, however, Rice went down to injury early in the season and Young and Owens began hooking up often. Owens finished his sophomore season with 936 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

I’ve often imagined what TO’s career would have been like if he wasn’t such a controversial figure. He works hard and keeps himself in impeccable shape but he always seems to be a magnet for drama and locker room distraction. There are concerns that Baldwin could go the same way. The Chiefs are betting that he won’t.

I am sure that when Young compared Baldwin to Owens he was speaking of skill set alone. Owens stands at 6-3 and weighs 224. Baldwin is just a hair under 6-5 and weighs 228.

Unlike Owens, Baldwin is sure to start every game at the #2 WR slot in his rookie season. He’ll be playing opposite Dwayne Bowe and while Matt Cassel is no Steve Young, if Baldwin comes anywhere close to the numbers Owens put up in his second year with the 49ers the KC offense could see a tremendous boost in production.

What do you think Addicts? Are you pleased with the Owens comparison furnished by Young?