Byron Young 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the Alabama IDL

Byron Young, Alabama: 6’3”, 290 pounds; SR.

A top-100 overall recruit in 2019, Byron Young increased his numbers in all three years with the Crimson Tide. He has recorded 81 total tackles, 13 for loss and six sacks over the past two seasons combined.

Last year, he also batted down a couple of passes and forced a fumble. The Associated Press voted him second-team All-SEC for it.

Byron Young scout report: Strengths

Byron Young of Alabama participates in a drill during the NFL Combine

+ Byron Young has 34 and 3/8-inch arms and monstrous 11-inch hands, while consistently playing with excellent pad-level and hand-placement.

+ With the way he can take control of blockers and toss them aside, you can put Young at five-technique and two-gap against tackles.

+ However, he can also be a play-maker in a disrupting interior role, blowing through the reach of blockers.

+ Regularly creates knock-backs at first contact in the run game and then crashes through the play-side shoulder if the ball comes that way, but also locks out with the inside arm as he sees guys redirect in the backfield.

+ Is able to press off and create an angle to flatten down the line when runs are drawn up the other way regularly.

+ You’re just not going to seal him on the backside with a tight end or wing, as he bench-presses them off effortlessly and negates any cutback lanes.

+ Digs that shoulder and creates stalemates with pullers coming his way in the backfield with consistency.

+ Yet if they work away from him, he quickly realizes that and tries to attach to their hip, with the force to run through the shoulder of the lineman next to him on the down-block.

+ Recorded a 88.8 run-stopping grade from PFF, being able to hold his ground against powerful blockers at just 292 pounds.

+ His usage on passing downs didn’t lend itself to major production, as he was asked to loop out wide or spike inside to set up his fellow rushers along the front regularly.

+ Considering that, his pass-rush win rate of 12.5% last season is pretty solid.

+ When he can legitimately work one-on-one, Byron Young's ability to lock out and work into the depth of the pocket with relentless leg-drive on the bull-rush stands out.

+ Effectively slaps down the mitts of blockers at their wrists and stabs at the side of their pads to create a softer corner that way.

+ Rushing off the edge or looping out there, Young can condense the pocket with power, but also chop down the outside if the tackle presents it to him and flatten his arc.

+ Shows the ability when blockers overset him or he feels a soft inside edge opening up as he connects with that pec, to pull the opposite arm over and swipe down the blocker’s reach, to take that direct path to the QB.

+ Once he’s at the hips of linemen, his length is a big plus to swipe or lift up the arms of the opponent, allowing him to clear their reach.

+ Regularly outworks pass-protectors and is ultimately able to create an angle to chase the quarterback on extended plays or as they escape the pocket.

+ Had a big showing against Ole Miss, riding linemen backwards, batting down balls and fighting through traffic to create disruption.

Byron Young scout report: Weaknesses

– Byron Young is a bit lethargic off the snap and simply focused on just locking out on the guy across from him, rather than trying to “make a play”, while his base can narrow near the point of attack.

– Doesn’t have the short-area burst to run down plays out to the sidelines.

– Not a really twitchy or light-footed interior rusher who will challenge the edges of linemen a whole lot.

– Lacks the flexibility in his hips to corner his rushes effectively and shows no spins or otherwise dynamic counter maneuvers.

Byron Young scout report: Grade

I think what we saw during Senior Bowl week describes best what type of player Byron Young is at this point. He was consistently the one to get his hands inside and control reps in the run game, just owning his space, while blockers had to really get into him so as not be driven backwards, which set him up to win with the rip off that.

However, those guys figured out his plan, and he didn’t really have any change-ups to throw at them. He can line up somewhere between head-up on the guard to head-up on the tackle, do the dirty work in the run game and test the integrity of the pocket with power. I believe his best fit at the next level is as a 4i-/5-tech in odd fronts, where he can play that gap-and-a-half for you in order to counterbalance negative box numbers.

The amount of action Byron Young sees on passing downs will depend on how much he can diversify his pass-rush arsenal and if his future DC is creative to create ways for him to be a useful set-up man for games. Somewhere later on day two is where I would target him.

Grade: Late third / early fourth round

You might like other 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports: Tyree Wilson (EDGE), Texas Tech; Will Anderson Jr. (EDGE), Alabama; Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR), Ohio; Zay Flowers (WR), Boston; Jordan Addison (WR), USC; Jordan Addison (WR), USC; Quentin Johnston (WR), TCU; Zach Charbonnet (RB), UCLA; Bijan Robinson (RB), Texas.

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