Byron

Young

Young was a third-round pick of the Raiders just last season but was let go during roster cutdowns. Young totaled four tackles in six games as a rookie while appearing on 99 defensive snaps. The Raiders bolstered their defensive line this offseason when they went out and signed Christian Wilkins to a deal. With that said, Young failing to stick on a roster after just one year in the league isn’t a great look for his long-term future. We’ll see if the Eagles can get more out of him this season.

Fellow 2023 draftee Byron Young was also placed on the PUP list. Wilson suffered a foot injury in November that caused him to miss the end of his final collegiate season. He was held out of the Raiders’ minicamp and OTA practices, so the move to place him on the NFI list isn’t a shock. He can be removed from the list and resume practicing anytime. There haven’t been any rumblings of the issue lingering into the season, Wilson should be expected to return to the field sometime during the first few weeks of camp.

Young (6’3/294) was a 4-star recruit, and the 8th-ranked defensive tackle, from Laurel, Mississippi in the 2019 recruiting class, according to 247 Sports. It seems that every year, Nick Saban sends another one of his touted interior defensive linemen to the NFL Draft. This year’s iteration is perhaps a bit unheralded compared to some of his predecessors. But, his recruiting pedigree and starting role on Alabama’s defense should highlight the innate ability and good foundation that an NFL team can build off of. Young is a one-directional defensive tackle, where he can deconstruct and chase fairly quickly for a player his size. He has a good understanding of how to diagnose his responsibilities based on what the offense is trying to do and has played multiple roles across the line. A seasoned prospect, NFL teams will be able to employ him in a depth role right away after having played 54 games of college football in a defense with advanced concepts. He won’t change directions particularly well, and he’s not particularly quick off the snap either, but his massive wingspan helps him to deploy refined hand counters while putting himself in the way of the offensive play, even if he doesn’t have the short-area agility that would make him win the body leverage battle as well.

Young (6'3/292) posted a run defense grade of 88.8 last season that put him at second among Power Five defensive tackles. It also puts him among the best in recent Alabama history, according to Pro Football Focus. He is behind no Alabama DT since 2019, with Raekwon Davis (87.9) and Christian Barmore (83.0). It will be interesting to see if he can top that grade even further this season.

Young (6'3/292) is expected to make a large impact heading into his final season with the Alabama Crimson Tide. The former five-star recruit has made his presence known, with his 88.8 run defense grade ranking second among Power Five defensive tackles last season. It will be interesting to see how he builds upon that moving forward.

To nobody’s surprise, another former five-star recruit has quickly risen in the ranks of the Alabama front seven. Young (6'5/280) earned some time with the first-team unit on Monday, according to Matt Zenitz of AL.com. Whether or not that means Young will start on Saturday is to be seen, but at the very least, he should be in the mix more than in weeks past. Young has nine tackles as a rotational player this season.

Young (6'5/280) was an elite talent at West Jones HS in Mississippi, and he’s doing everything he can to ensure that he hits the ground running when fall camp begins. “They all tell me if I come in in shape, I should be on the field right away,” Young told Charlie Potter of 247Sports.com. “If I do everything that I’ve got to do, they tell me that I’m strong enough to come in and play right away.” Among the five-star recruit’s goals is to be a Freshman All-American, and he’ll work towards this on a defensive line that will have to account for the loss of elite tackle Quinnen Williams.

Young (6'5/280) has already taken official visits to Bama, Florida and Ole Miss. Mississippi State will have their shot this weekend, with LSU on deck for his final official visit next weekend. While he continues to explore his other options, the Laurel, Mississippi, native says that he remains 100-percent in his Alabama commitment. We’ll see if that holds true through National Signing Day. Rivals ranks Young as the No. 103 prospect in the 2019 class.