Sean McVay expects ‘major leap’ from Byron Young, wants to better utilize Michael Hoecht

Sean McVay has high hopes for the Rams’ defensive front in 2024, even without Aaron Donald leading the way

There’s a lot of pressure on the Los Angeles Rams’ front seven this season following the retirement of Aaron Donald. It’s not internal pressure being put on players from the coaching staff, but rather external attention as fans and analysts wonder how the Rams will replace the future Hall of Famer.

Though there are understandably questions about what the defense will look like sans Donald, Sean McVay is excited about the young group Los Angeles has assembled. On “The Athletic Football Show”, McVay talked about a handful of young players he’s looking forward to seeing this year.

Notably, he expects continued improvements from Bobby Brown III and a “major leap” from Byron Young. McVay also hopes to use Hoecht a bit differently in 2024 after he was left on an island far too often in coverage last season, resulting in easy completions for the opposing quarterback.

“We don’t have the luxury of having a guy that is, in essence, the Michael Jordan of the defensive line. We’ve got some really good players, but there is a philosophical approach that we believe – and Coach Shula – and what we’ll do defensively we believe in to play defense. But to expect anybody to play like Aaron Donald, to do the things he did to impact the game the way that he did, to affect his teammates the way that he did, that’s not fair to put that on anybody.

“But I am really excited and encouraged about the opportunity for us to see what that looks like. I’m so grateful for everything that he did, but I think we’ve got some young guys that I think have a chance. I think Kobie Turner’s a really good player. We’ve got some other young guys. I think Bobby Brown made a really good jump last year and I’m expecting that much more from him. We drafted Braden Fiske and Tyler Davis. And then on the edges, I think Byron Young is going to take a major leap. I think Michael Hoecht is a really versatile player that we can do a better job utilizing his skill set to not put him in some of the harder downs that he was in last year. And I’m really excited about Jared Verse.”

Hoecht was OK as a pass rusher last season, ranking fourth on the team in total pressures and pass-rush grade (66.8), but he really struggled in coverage. That shouldn’t have surprised anyone considering he’s a former defensive tackle who moved to outside linebacker, but Raheem Morris kept dropping him into coverage and even lined him up across from slot receivers at times.

The Rams didn’t necessarily have the luxury of taking Hoecht off the field much last year because of their lack of depth at outside linebacker, but with Verse’s arrival, the Rams are better equipped to put Hoecht into positions to succeed rather than being forced to play him the majority of the game.

Training camp will help sort out how the pass-rush rotation will work between Young, Verse and Hoecht. On the interior, Brown will have to hold off the rookie Davis, while Fiske and Turner try to fill the shoes of Donald as the primary interior rushers.

47 days until Alabama football kicks off the 2024 season

Alabama football will kickoff the 2024 season in just 47 days!

In 47 days, Kalen DeBoer will usher in a new era of Alabama Crimson Tide football, replacing the legendary [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] as head coach in Tuscaloosa.

Coach DeBoer and the Crimson Tide will take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Aug. 31 to kick off the 2024 college football season inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

At Roll Tide Wire, we will count down the days until Alabama football takes the field.

Today, with 47 days remaining, we will look at an Alabama defensive lineman who just wrapped up his Crimson Tide career and wore No. 47, [autotag]Byron Young[/autotag].

Young finished his Alabama career with 130 total tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. The Las Vegas Raiders selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Byron Young’s Photo Gallery

Rams go from last to top 10 in ESPN’s under-25 talent rankings

The Rams were ranked last in under-25 talent in each of the last 2 years, but now they’re in the top 10 thanks to the draft

The best teams in the NFL are typically built through the draft. Despite the narrative that the Rams don’t care about the draft, given the blockbuster trades they’ve made involving first-round picks, they’re absolutely a team that builds through the draft.

In fact, their 2023 class is a big reason the Rams made the playoffs last season in a year when they were expected to be a bottom-10 team in the NFL.

Thanks to the selections of Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Kobie Turner and Byron Young, the Rams are equipped with some of the best young talent in football. ESPN recognizes that and moved Los Angeles way up in its under-25 rankings for 2024, even though Turner doesn’t qualify because he’s already 25.

The Rams went from last in 2022 and 2023 to eighth on ESPN’s list this year, a dramatic improvement in young talent thanks to a couple of strong draft classes.

The Rams would have ranked dead last in 2023 for under-25 talent. Then they got outstanding contributions from lower-round rookies in 2023; our expectations are way up when it comes to the future values of Nacua and Young. Both players are still just 23, and Nacua in particular now looks like one of the top 10 young players in the NFL, setting rookie records in receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486). Last year’s second-round pick, Avila, who will move from guard to center this season, had an 89.2% pass block win rate and allowed only two sacks in 1,094 snaps. The Rams also got a surprising second-year breakout from running back Kyren Williams. He ran for 1,144 yards on 228 carries.

Aaron Schatz, who constructed the under-25 rankings, also noted the Rams’ 2024 draft class as evidence of their young talent. That class is led by Florida State defenders Jared Verse and Braden Fiske, who are projected to be instant contributors up front.

In addition to Nacua, Avila, Young, Verse and Fiske, the Rams also have Bobby Brown III and Ernest Jones, who are both under 25 still. The defense may be relatively unproven without Aaron Donald rushing the passer, but there’s plenty of young talent on that side of the ball.

Rams OLB Byron Young could be on his way to a Year 2 breakout

Sean McVay said Byron Young is one of the most improved players on the Rams this year, a sign that he could be headed for a breakout season

Byron Young was a key player on defense last season as a rookie, playing all 17 games and making 16 starts in his first NFL season. Despite experiencing a learning curve from college to the pros, Young still managed to rack up eight sacks and 61 total tackles, landing 19 hits on the quarterback.

Even after the Rams added Jared Verse in the first round and brought back Michael Hoecht in free agency, Young projects to be a starter once again in 2024 and he could be in for a breakout year.

Sean McVay spoke highly of Young on the “Green Light” podcast with Chris Long, calling him one of the most improved players this offseason.

“He’s come a long way. He was a guy that came in, had a good career at Tennessee and I think he’s just continuing to learn how to add some tools to his arsenal, understand those looks to own,” McVay said. “He had a really good spring. He was arguably one of the more improved players on our football team because he’s got stuff in his body and now it’s continuing to say, hey, repetition is the mother of learning. What’s my primary? What’s my complimentary? Let me master that. Let me understand and own where my opportunities are for taking calls, different things like that. Even something as simple as when you’re playing out of a two-point (stance) early on in some of these run downs and it’s not known pass, like, how about not false-stepping and what a difference that makes for your get-off and your ability to affect the offensive line. He’s really done a great job. I’m excited about where he can go and I thought he was one of the bright spots of the spring, for sure.”

Unless Hoecht really stands out in training camp or Verse struggles, Young and Verse are projected to be the Rams’ starting edge rushers this season. It may be a young tandem, but it’s one with sky-high potential thanks to their athleticism, speed and power.

Last season alone, Young had 51 pressures, recording at least three pressures in 10 of his 18 games, including the playoffs. He can improve as a run defender but as a pure pass rusher, the tools are certainly there.

It remains to be seen how much of an impact that absence of Aaron Donald will have on Young and the Rams’ other edge rushers but if Young keeps getting one-on-one matchups, he’ll win more often than not.

Don’t be surprised if he has at least 10 sacks in his second season and becomes a star for the Rams.

Byron Young bulked up this offseason and is already seeing the benefits

Byron Young has already added about 10 pounds this offseason and feels like he “got faster with it”

Byron Young came into the NFL as a rocked-up edge rusher with a ton of power in his 6-foot-2 frame. As a 25-year-old rookie, it wasn’t surprising to see him with the frame of an NFL veteran, but he’s not done adding weight.

Young told Stu Jackson of the Rams’ official site that he’s up nearly 10 pounds already this offseason after playing at 250 pounds last season, yet he doesn’t feel any slower with the added weight. In fact, he feels like he’s gotten faster, as well as being stronger.

“Feels great,” Young said Tuesday. “I feel like I got faster with it, because I felt like I would get slower a little bit, I definitely sped up a little bit.”

Young was more of a speed rusher than a power guy last season, which was the case at Tennessee, as well. That’s not to say he doesn’t have the strength to bull rush tackles into the laps of quarterbacks, but he wins with speed and bend around the edge.

Now that he’s bulked up and added some muscle, Young can be a better blend of speed and power, which he’s excited about.

“It’s good to be bigger and fast,” Young said. “They wanted me to see if I get to this weight and see if I could play with that, see if I could sustain that and that’s what I’m doing right now. It feels great. Getting close to up to 260, so it’s good, and I don’t look bad. That’s one thing that I would worry about – I didn’t want to get the weight and then not look great. But it’s definitely something that helps me with the run game, pass game, setting the edge and all of that, for sure.”

Young is already on a great trajectory as a pro after recording eight sacks in 2023, which were tied for second on the team with Aaron Donald. He obviously has room to improve and he hopes the added weight will help take his game to the next level.

It’s reasonable to think that opposite Jared Verse, he could surpass 10 sacks in 2024 and add to the 19 quarterback hits he had as a rookie last season.

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.