Photo by Andrew Ferguson - Tennessee Athletics

Height	Weight	Arm Length	Hand Size
6'2"	250 lbs.	32 1/2"	9 1/4"

40 Yard Dash	Bench Press	Vertical Jump	Broad Jump	3-Cone Drill	20 Yard Shuttle
4.43 Sec	22 Reps	38"	11'	7.19 Sec	N/A

Games	Tackles	Tackles for Loss	Sacks	Pass Defended	Interceptions	Forced Fumbles	Touchdowns
26	83	23.5	12.5	2	1	0.0	0.0

Pros

• Freakish athleticism for the position.


• Great flexibility in his chiseled Adonis-like build.

• Elite first step off the line often blazes him past offensive tackles that don't respect it.

• Low pad level throughout rush consistently.

• Despite lack of experience, he already possesses a great feel for bending the edge on his rush which has won him quite a few battles.

• Elite agility and quickness for his size.

 

• Good power in his upper-body and arms which is evident in his punch.


• Athleticism is on full display when twisted into the interior as he scorches earth to get to the quarterback.

• Holds his ground in run defense surprisingly well on the edge and does a nice job of keeping contain.

• Takes excellent angles in pursuit to cut off ball carriers quickly and often outrun them to their spot.

• Very good tackler with strong hands to wrap up quickly.

• Has some nastiness to his game.

• Hottest motor in the draft in my opinion as he's capable and has proven that he can make any play anywhere on the field.

• Gives 110% on and off the field to the game by all accounts and is phenomenal teammate.

• Ridiculous production despite lack of experience in the game gives him a ridiculous trajectory as a player.

Cons

• Very raw pass rusher at the age of 25 yrs old.

• Arm length is average for his size and could be an issue against bigger offensive tackles.

 

• Heavy reliance on freakish athleticism over technique.

 

• Needs to work on timing snap counts better.

 

• Hand technique at engagement needs considerable work.

 

• No go to pass rush move currently and will need hefty development here.

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• No counter rush moves to speak of currently as prospect.

 

• Punch accuracy is inconsistent and needs tempering.

 

• Doesn't go after the football when sacking the quarterback despite opportunities being available.

 

• Lacks versatility as an edge defender and may strictly be an outside linebacker in 3-4.

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• Only two seasons under his belt, despite good production in both.

Overview

Byron Young has had one of more unique journey's into the NFL draft that I have heard in a long time and to think that 25 yr old rookie edge rusher can have immense upside in the NFL is almost unheard of but Byron Young certainly does have upside. He's a freakish athlete that works his ass off on and off the field and expects nothing to be given to him in return which is the kind of lunch pail attitude NFL coaches love to hear about a prospect. He's still learning the position and is a very raw prospect from a technical stand point but you can see on tape that Young is a potential terror for offenses on the football field and his lack playing the sport didn't stop him from making plenty of offensive tackles look silly. It's going to take a very good coach to get him up to NFL speed and his life is likely to be rough his first couple years in the league but with time spent learning and patience from the organization that drafts him, he could be great contributor to a defense.