Tag: Byron Young

Aaron Donald says Rams are in ‘a good position’ but should address one position

Aaron Donald thinks the Rams are “going to be a great team” in 2024 but they could still use help at one position

For the first time since 2013, Aaron Donald won’t be suiting up for the Rams. He retired after 10 seasons, leaving the game of football as one of the best to ever take the field.

Despite the fact that he won’t be playing for the team anymore, he’s still going to pay close attention to them. Donald is excited to watch them play this season and feels they have a good chance to contend in 2024.

He’s particularly confident in the offense, especially after re-signing Kevin Dotson and bringing in Jonah Jackson to improve the O-line.

“I think we got a great offense. We got a great offense. I think they just added, as far as beefing up the offensive line to help with the running game and protecting Stafford,” Donald said on “Green Light with Chris Long” this week. “I think they’ve still got some key pieces at wide receiver. They’ve still got Cooper Kupp, they’ve still got Puka. They got Robinson, they brought him back. They’ve got some good pieces.”

He does believe the Rams could stand to add help at one position, though. During his chat with Long, Donald said he’d like to see Los Angeles add an edge rusher to round out the defense – either a proven veteran or a prospect in the draft.

It’s similar to the feeling many fans have right now, knowing the outside linebacker group is the weakest on the roster.

“On defense, I think we’ve got good guys on the end but I think we can help with some edge help and I think they did (well) as far as bringing some corners in and some guys in the secondary to help,” he continued. “I think they’re in a good position right now. If anything, if I was to say one thing the Rams need just a little bit of help with, I would say just the edge rusher. Just getting an extra edge rusher, some guy that’s got some experience or find a good guy in the draft that can get it done. You see what we did in the draft last year, nobody expected us to be the team (we were) and a lot of the rookies end up making names for themselves and dominating, so if you get another piece like that that can help on the edge, I think the Rams are going to be a great team. it’s going to be fun to watch. I’m excited to watch the Rams play this year. I’m not going to be out there but I just feel like they’re going to have a lot of success, I really do. I think they’ve got all the pieces they need. Add a piece here as far as the edge guy and then they made some moves to help them get better.”

The Rams have all but ignored the outside linebacker position in the last two offseasons, with the exception of selecting Byron Young in Round 3 and adding Nick Hampton and Ochaun Mathis later in the draft. Young and Michael Hoecht are the projected starters once again in 2024, but edge rusher should be the team’s top priority in the draft.

The pass rush as a whole will have a tougher time generating pressure now without Donald drawing double-teams every snap, so the Rams have to address this hole sooner rather than later.

Sean McVay mentions Quentin Lake as a young building block on defense

Quentin Lake is a rising player for the Rams after emerging as a dynamic defender in the slot last season

The Los Angeles Rams went from fielding star-studded defenses year after year to now deploying a unit filled with young, up-and-coming players. Gone are the days of Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, Leonard Floyd, Marcus Peters and now Aaron Donald.

Now, the Rams are leaning on players such as Kobie Turner, Ernest Jones and Byron Young. In addition to those three standout defenders, Quentin Lake is a player fans should know heading into the 2024 season. He’s expected to play a significant role next season after emerging as the team’s top slot defender last year, recently earning some recognition from Sean McVay.

During an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, McVay mentioned Lake as a young player the Rams can build around.

“Chris Shula’s going to do a great job leading our defensive unit,” McVay said. “We’ve got some young guys that we can really build around. Love what Kobie Turner did last year. Aaron really poured into him. Love the emergence of Byron Young. Ernest Jones is a special leader in the middle of our defense. I think Quentin Lake is a really special, emerging player. And then being able to add quality players on the back end like a Kam Curl, bringing Darious Williams back home. So we’re excited. We’re going to try to add some good players through this draft and we’ll see where we’re at.”

Lake joined the Rams as a sixth-round pick in 2022, primarily being viewed as a safety. Injuries limited him to only nine games as a rookie but he took his game to another level last season when the Rams moved him into the slot.

He excelled in that role, both as a run defender and in coverage. He earned a 71.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, helped by an impressive 84.6 tackling grade thanks to his missed tackle rate of only 3.8%.

With Williams and Tre’Davious White expected to be the starting cornerbacks on the outside, Lake has a golden opportunity to maintain his role as the primary slot defender.

He may not be a household name but Lake is in position to have a very good third season in the NFL.

Chop Robinson’s stellar combine performance was similar to Byron Young’s

Chop Robinson could be a target for the Rams in Round 1 and his combine performance shows he’s a similar athlete to Byron Young

The Los Angeles Rams should be thrilled with the way Byron Young played during his rookie season, going from third-round pick to tying Aaron Donald with eight sacks during the 2023 campaign. If the Rams want a similar player to Young in this year’s draft, Penn State’s Chop Robinson could be their guy in Round 1.

Robinson came into the NFL combine with a first-round projection thanks to his quick get-off and pass-rushing skills. He certainly improved his stock with a stellar performance in Indianapolis on Thursday, wowing with a 4.48 in the 40-yard dash – including a 1.54-second 10-yard split, which is the fastest ever for an edge rusher over 250 pounds.

As outstanding as Robinson’s combine workout was, it’s similar to the one Young had last year. According to Next Gen Stats, they’re only a half-inch apart in height, Young is 4 pounds lighter and he timed 0.05 seconds faster in the 40-yard dash. Their arms are exactly the same length (32.5 inches) and their athleticism score of 84 was identical.

They have similar leaping abilities, too. Robinson jumped 34.5 inches in the vertical and 128 inches in the broad, while Young jumped 38 inches and 132 inches, respectively. So it was the Rams edge rusher who actually had the better week.

While 6-foot-2 isn’t an ideal height for an edge rusher, that didn’t limit Young last season and it shouldn’t for Robinson, either. If the Rams like what they’ve found with Young, Robinson could be a perfect fit at No. 19 in the first round this year.

What Condition the Position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at DT ahead of free agency

What Condition Raiders Position is in: Defensive tackle

With free agency under a month away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ defensive tackle position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Starters: Jerry Tillery, ?
Backups: Byron Young, Nesta Jade Silvera, Marquan McCall
Free Agents: Bilal Nichols, Adam Butler, John Jenkins

The past two drafts the Raiders have used four draft picks on the defensive tackle position and have little to show for it. They got no starters out of it and one of the four (Young) was on the active roster all of last season. Veterans Bilal Nichols and John Jenkins started every game last season with Jerry Tillery appearing in all 17 games, starting six.

Condition: Critical

Three of the four interior defensive lineman who were regular parts in the rotation last season are set to be free agents. Only Tillery remains and he wasn’t even a regular starter due to his deficiencies against the run. Adam Butler played well enough to earn a return. If they bring him back, they would still need to add one more talented interior lineman. If they don’t, they would need a couple.

Puka Nacua goes from Round 5 to top 5 in ESPN’s 2023 re-draft

Puka Nacua went in the top 5 of ESPN’s 2023 re-draft, while Kobie Turner and Byron Young both landed with a rival up north

Not only was Puka Nacua one of the best rookies in the NFL this past season, but he was unquestionably the biggest steal so far. As a fifth-round pick, he set rookie records for the most receiving yards and receptions in a season, putting himself squarely in the conversation for Offensive Rookie of the Year with C.J. Stroud of the Texans.

In hindsight, it’s hard to believe every team passed on him multiple times in the draft, including the Rams, before he was selected with the final pick in the fifth round. If teams were to draft players from the 2023 class now after seeing what they did during their rookie season, where would Nacua land?

ESPN tried to answer that question with a 2023 re-draft and Nacua went from Round 5 to top 5, landing at No. 4 overall to the Colts.

The Colts’ quarterback need would have remained glaring had the picks played out this way, but Indianapolis was never nearly as high on Will Levis as some believed. Bryce Young is worth considering, but Nacua is more of a sure thing. He would give the Colts an elite skill player to pair with their eventual franchise quarterback — whenever they finally land one. Nacua broke the NFL’s single-season rookie record for receiving yards (1,486) and receptions (105). — Stephen Holder

The only players drafted ahead of Nacua in this experiment were Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Anderson Jr. Stroud and Anderson were awesome as rookies, and Richardson showed potential before suffering a season-ending injury.

Elsewhere in the draft, fellow Rams rookie Kobie Turner landed with the rival Seahawks at No. 20 overall. The Rams selected him 89th overall in the third round, so that’s quite the jump for him, too.

Passing on Smith-Njigba is hard, but Seattle’s run defense was awful — even after trading for defensive end Leonard Williams in October. In this scenario, Seattle would beef up its D-line with Turner, who led all rookies in sacks (nine) and run stop win rate (38%, 20th among all linemen). And it likely would have prevented the Seahawks from having to give up a second-round pick for Williams at midseason. — Brady Henderson

To make matters even worse, the Seahawks also land another Rams rookie: Byron Young. They select him at No. 52 overall, 25 picks before he actually went in the 2023 draft. Imagine seeing Turner and Young both in a Seahawks uniform now? Gross.

As for the Rams, they went with the status quo and took Steve Avila at No. 36 overall, just as they did in April. It was a slam-dunk pick and there’s no reason for them to change that now.

Two former Vols named to PFWA All-Rookie Team

Two former Vols named to PFWA All-Rookie Team.

Two former Vols were named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team Tuesday.

Darnell Wright and Byron Young were honored and Tennessee was one of seven schools to have multiple players named to the 2023 PFWA All-Rookie Team.

Wright, who plays for Chicago, was the SEC’s highest drafted offensive lineman in 2023 (No. 10 overall). He started 17 games for the Bears and played 99.6 percent of the team’s snaps, the most of any Chicago player.

Young, an edge rusher for the Los Angeles Rams, was drafted in the third round (No. 77 overall).

He helped Los Angeles reach the playoffs during his rookie campaign, totaling 61 total tackles, eight sacks, 19 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Young was second among all NFL rookies in sacks.

Rams land NFL-high 4 players on PFWA’s 2023 All-Rookie Team

The Rams had 4 players selected to the PFWA All-Rookie Team, the most of any team in the NFL this year

The Pro Football Writers of America gave the Los Angeles Rams’ rookie class a ton of praise on Tuesday with the release of its 2023 All-Rookie Team. The PFWA voted four Rams to the team, which is the most of any team in the NFL this season.

Puka Nacua was selected at wide receiver, with Steve Avila making it at guard. On defense, Kobie Turner and Byron Young were both selected after putting together outstanding seasons with nine and eight sacks, respectively.

The next-closest team to the Rams was the Lions, who had three players selected. A total of 17 teams had rookies selected by the PFWA.

The only other Rams player who had a case was punter Ethan Evans, but he didn’t have the season that Bryce Baringer of the Patriots had. Evans averaged only 38.4 net yards per punt, which was the second-worst among qualified punters.

The PFWA also announced its Rookie of the Year awards, which came with some bad news for two Rams hopefuls. Nacua was edged out by C.J. Stroud, who won Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year. Fellow Texans standout Will Anderson Jr. was voted the Defensive Rookie of the Year by the PFWA, too, beating out Turner.

These aren’t the official awards recognized by the NFL like the Associated Press’ awards, but it’s an indication that Nacua and Turner could be snubbed when the AP reveals its selections next month.

Only one Rams rookie made ESPN’s top 10 from 2023 season

The Rams had several standout rookies this season, but only one of them cracked ESPN’s top 10

The Los Angeles Rams don’t win 10 games and reach the playoffs this season if not for their rookie class. They entered the year needing to come away with at least one or two impactful rookies, and they landed four starters, as well as a punter.

Puka Nacua was one of the best receivers in the NFL and set several rookie records, including the most receiving yards and catches in a player’s first season. Kobie Turner and Byron Young ranked first and second among rookies in sacks, finishing with nine and eight, respectively. Steve Avila not only started all 17 games at left guard, but he didn’t miss a single snap.

ESPN ranked the top 10 rookies from the 2023 season, but only one Rams player made the list: Nacua. He was ranked second by ESPN, only behind C.J. Stroud – the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Nacua broke a 63-year record for receiving yards by a rookie, as he finished the regular season with 1,486 yards on his 105 receptions. That’s quite the value for a fifth-round pick who had struggled with injuries at times during his college career.

Nacua makes contested catches, and his routes are crisp. He is already one of the league’s best at the position, breaking tackles once he has the ball — 43% of his receiving yards came after first contact, a remarkable number given his high volume of work.

Turner and Young were both left off ESPN’s poll, finishing in the “just missed” category alongside Texans wideout Tank Dell. De’Von Achane, who only played 11 games, finished in the final spot at No. 10, just barely ahead of Turner and Young. Bijan Robinson and Jordan Addison tied for eighth, so they were ahead of Turner and Young, too.

Even with just one rookie on ESPN’s top-10 list, the Rams had one of the best draft classes of any team last year, if not the very best. They have several building blocks for the 2024 season, and that’s without even mentioning Nick Hampton, Davis Allen and Tre Tomlinson, who could all have bigger roles next season.

Raiders 2023 Season Busters

Raiders 2023 Season Busters

While the Raiders may have ended the season with a good feeling overall, they ended it with a meaningless game. Being unable to reach .500 and knocked out of the playoffs before the end of the season obviously means a few things went wrong.

We covered the top performances in the Ballers. Now let’s get to the bad news with our Busters.

NFL playoffs: Byron Young by the numbers against Detroit

NFL playoffs: Former Vol Byron Young by the numbers against Detroit

Detroit defeated the Rams, 24-23, on Sunday in the NFL playoffs.

Former Vol Byron Young recorded three tackles and one tackle for a loss against the Lions.

Young recorded 61 tackles, eight sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery during his rookie regular-season in 2023.

He played at Tennessee from 2021-22 under head coach Josh Heupel after transferring from Georgia Military College. The former Vol was an All-SEC standout in 2022.

Young finished his Tennessee career with 83 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for a loss, 12.5 sacks, one interception, two pass breakups and 22 quarterback hurries.

Young was selected by the Rams in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft (No. 77 overall).

PHOTOS: Byron Young through the years

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images