Las Vegas Raiders select Byron Young in third round of 2023 NFL Draft
Byron Young is off the board at the 2023 NFL Draft, being selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the third round. Being another defensive tackle product to come out of Alabama, Young was picked at No. 70 overall. A solid pickup for Las Vegas as an experienced SEC player will be joining the franchise.
Young was another one of the four-year players out of Alabama in the NFL Draft class. He made his way into the defensive line rotation beginning in the 2019 season before emerging later in his career. By the time Young entered his senior season, he was a bonafide starter for the Crimson Tide.
In 54 career games played in Tuscaloosa, Young recorded 139 tackles, 22.5 tackles for a loss, and 7.5 sacks. One forced fumble did occur during the 2022 season (coming on the road in the win against Ole Miss), part of a magnificent senior campaign. Young earned first-team All-SEC honors and will head into the NFL playing some of his best football.
Young played high school football at Laurel (MS) West Jones, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 85 overall recruit in the 2019 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
He is just the latest Alabama player from the 2019 recruiting class to head to the NFL. We all know head coach Nick Saban is an elite recruiter. And even after seasons with two losses, guys are seeing their dreams come true at the next level.
What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Byron Young
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com gave his scouting report of Young after the NFL Combine, talking about the strengths and weaknesses of the Alabama defensive tackle. He talked about the 6-3, 294-pound man needing to win based on power when coming off the line of scrimmage.
Overall, Zierlein believes Young has the ability to get starts in the NFL but does have some more work to do from a development standpoint.
“Interior defensive lineman with the play traits and versatility to align in odd or even fronts,” Zierlein said. “Young has decent length and is well-schooled at attacking blocks with good technical savvy. He’s much better as a read-react defender than a one-gapper and must win with power and balance over quickness.
“He’s likely to fit into a rotational role early on but could develop into an average starter down the road.”