Byron Young Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Donald Page/Getty Images)

School: Tennessee (Senior)

Position: EDGE

HT: 6’3

WT: 243 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #97

Byron Young is an intriguing player who has had many twists and turns in his journey to the NFL Draft. Young was a 3-star recruit out of South Carolina and then moved to Georgia for Junior College. Young was viewed as one of the top Junior College players in the country and ultimately decided to commit to play football for the Volunteers on National Signing Day in December of 2020. Young spent two seasons in Knoxville as a top edge rusher in the country. Byron Young struggled with COVID during his JUCO career which prevented him from getting proper reps and any Power 5 offers until a few months before he committed. In his first season at Tennessee, he cemented himself as a top player in the nation by tying the team lead in sacks with 5.5 while also adding 11.5 tackles for loss. Young only built off of his 2021 season in 2022, finishing with 7 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.

Byron Young is a fast, quick twitch athlete off the edge that provides an extra spunk to a defensive line. Being from junior college, Young does not take a single snap for granted and it shows. Young doesn’t take a single play off and plays with a high motor that simply never stops. At the combine, Young clocked in at a 4.43 40-yard dash. This time put him in the 99th percentile for his position. Young provides speed that is not coachable and there is a lot of potential to use it both in the pass rush and in run defense. Young is an aware and quick-reacting run defender on the edge and does not work himself too far up the field, remaining in front of the ball carrier when defending the run. Young is able to burst off the line of scrimmage and really put offensive tackles on their heels right from the jump. When eliminating false steps from his play, Young has an elite first step that allows him to use his combination of bend and speed to get around the edge. He is naturally able to slip through the arms of offensive tackles on a consistent basis.

Byron Young’s pitfalls are, for the most part, somewhat out of his control. The most obvious being that he will be a 25-year-old rookie. To put that in perspective, he will be a rookie in the league older than guys like Chase Young and Isaiah Simmons, and only 3 days younger than Justin Herbert. Most guys his age and even younger have multiple years of NFL experience. Another factor of Young’s game working against him is his size. Starting with strength and mass, he is a slighter player and does not have the functional strength to overpower linemen. With the lack of strength, it will be hard for him to give meaningful reps at any position other than the edge. He says he models his game after Khalil Mack, and while there are definitely similarities in terms of style of play, he will need to add weight and functional strength in order to fully get there. However, for an edge player, he is lacking in length. His wingspan, arm length, and hand size are all well below average for his position.

If Byron Young can add some weight to his frame without compromising his elite speed off the edge, he could develop into an impact player on the edge. He is a bit of a risk considering his age and size, but he can also be a gadgety player along the line.

Scheme Fit: Odd Front Zone Heavy

Ideal Role: Outside Linebacker

Best Team Fits: MIA, NYG, TB

Player Comparison: Khalil Mack

Player Grade: 72.6