Byron Young (linebacker)

For the Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman, see Byron Young (defensive lineman).

Byron Young
refer to caption
Young at the 2023 NFL Combine
No. 0 – Los Angeles Rams
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1998-03-13) March 13, 1998 (age 26)
Georgetown, South Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:258 lb (117 kg)
Career information
High school:Carvers Bay
(Hemingway, South Carolina)
College:
NFL draft:2023 / round: 3 / pick: 77
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 12, 2024
Total tackles:111
Sacks:14.0
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Byron Young (born March 13, 1998) is an American professional football linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Military College for one season before transferring to Tennessee.

Early life

Young attended Carvers Bay High School in Hemingway, South Carolina.[1] Barely recruited coming out of high school, Young worked at Dollar General before walking on at Georgia Military College in 2020.[2]

College career

Following one season at Georgia Military College, Young was ranked the number 10 Junior College prospect and committed to Tennessee over Ole Miss.[3] Initially a backup in his first season at Tennessee in 2021, Young started the last 8 games recording 46 total tackles and led the team with 5.5 sacks.[4]

In the Volunteers Week 6 game against LSU in 2022, Young recorded 2.5 sacks and was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) defensive lineman of the week for his performance.[5][6] At the conclusion of the season he was named to the All-SEC first team.[7]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+3⁄8 in
(1.89 m) 		250 lb
(113 kg) 		32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.43 s 1.62 s 2.58 s 7.19 s 38.0 in
(0.97 m)		 11 ft 0 in
(3.35 m)		 22 reps
All values from NFL Combine[8][9]

Young was drafted in the third round (77th overall) by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2023 NFL draft.[10] The Rams acquired the 77th overall pick from the Miami Dolphins after trading cornerback Jalen Ramsey for tight end Hunter Long.[11]

Heading into his first training camp & preseason, Byron Young was a starting outside linebacker. At the end of the NFL preseason, head coach Sean McVay named Young a starting outside linebacker to begin the season, opposite Michael Hoecht.

Byron Young made his first career start and NFL debut in the Rams' Week 1 victory against the Seattle Seahawks, notching his first career split-sack and playing in 84% of the defensive snaps during the win.[12] The following week, he notched his first full career sack in the Rams' 30–23 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.[13] He would notch another half-sack in the Rams' 16–19 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals the following week.[14] Against the Green Bay Packers in Week 9, Young recorded his first multi-sack game, although the Rams lost 20–3. [15] He finished the season recording three more sacks in his final five games of the season.

As a rookie, Young played in all 17 games (16 starts) and played in 85% of the team's defensive snaps. He finished his rookie season leading all rookie edge rushers with 8 sacks, 61 total tackles (42 solo), two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.[16] Additionally, Young earned PFWA All-Rookie Team honors at the end of the season.[17]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck FF FR Yds TD Int Yds TD PD
2023 LAR 17 16 61 42 19 8.0 2 1 0 — — — — —
2024 LAR 9 9 35 18 16 5.0 1 0 0 — — — — 1
Career 26 25 96 49 35 13.0 3 1 0 — — — — 1

References

  1. ^ Kelly, Danny (October 27, 2022). "Carvers Bay product Byron Young named SEC defensive lineman of the week". Post and Courier. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  2. ^ Ray, Matt (December 22, 2020). "Tennessee 'Just Felt Right' For Disruptive JuCo Edge Rusher Byron Young". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  3. ^ "Byron Young, Georgia Military College Bulldogs, Linebacker". 247Sports. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  4. ^ Paschall, David (August 13, 2022). "Byron Young wants to dominate SEC in second year with Vols". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  5. ^ Stone, Ethan (October 11, 2022). "Tennessee football: Quarterbacks beware, Byron Young is hitting his stride". Saturday Down South. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  6. ^ Brown, Patrick (October 10, 2022). "Two Vols earn weekly SEC honors after win at LSU". GoVols247. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  7. ^ "2022 All-SEC Football Teams Announced". SEC Sports. December 6, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  8. ^ "Byron Young Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  9. ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Byron Young College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  10. ^ Jackson, Stu (April 28, 2023). "READ: Rams select Tennessee OLB Byron Young with 77th pick in 2023 NFL Draft". TheRams.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  11. ^ Arthur, Kenneth (March 12, 2023). "Rams trade Jalen Ramsey to Dolphins". Turf Show Times. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  12. ^ "Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks - September 10th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  13. ^ "San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams - September 17th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  14. ^ "Los Angeles Rams at Cincinnati Bengals - September 25th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  15. ^ "Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers - November 5th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  16. ^ "Byron Young 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  17. ^ "2023 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.