The Los Angeles Rams selected Tennessee outside linebacker Byron Young with the 77th overall pick in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft (4/28/23).
College: During his two seasons at Tennessee, Young appeared in 24 games (22 starts) and totaled 83 tackles (42 solo), 23.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 22 quarterback hurries, and one interception. During his final campaign in 2022, he earned AllSEC Second-Team by the Associated Press, All-SEC First-Team by league coaches, and participated in the 2023 Reese's Senior Bowl, as well as the 2023 NFL Combine. He started all 13 games and led the Vols with 7.0 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 14 quarterback hurries. He ranked in the top five in the SEC with 42 pressures by Pro Football Focus, and tied for sixth in the SEC in sacks and eighth in tackles for loss. Against LSU, Young led the pass rush with five tackles and a career-high 2.5 sacks, tying the most by any player in the SEC for the season, earning SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week. He also earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week against Pittsburgh, becoming the first Vol to earn the honor since 2018. As a junior in 2021 he transferred from Georgia Military Junior College and became one of the top edge rushers in the SEC. He appeared in 11 games (eight starts) and tied as the team leader in sacks (5.5) and tackles for loss (11.5). Young ranked second among UT defensive lineman with 46 total tackles (20 solo) and led the team in quarterback hurries (eight), and ranked 15th in the SEC in tackles for loss. Against Purdue he recorded his first interception and a career-high eight tackles. During the 2020 season at Georgia Military JUCO, the season was cancelled due to COVID. As a true freshman in 2019, he appeared in 11 games and totaled 31 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss and seven sacks for a loss of 46 yards.
Personal: During his time at Georgia Military Junior College, Young was the No. 1 weakside defensive end and No. 11 overall junior college player by 247Sports and was also a member of the ESPN.com JUCO Top 50. He served in the cadet corps while playing football and became the leader of the corp group. Before walking on at GMC he served as an assistant manager at Dollar General for over a year. During his time at Tennessee, Young served in the VOLeaders Academy to engage in the community and create positive social change. He was the recipient of the Dr. John Range Athletic Scholarship and majored in communication studies.
