Byron Young had an awkward moment on draft day because of a mix-up with another Byron Young, who was drafted by the Raiders
During the third round of the 2023 NFL draft, Byron Young heard his name called twice. Obviously, he wasn’t selected twice, but there was actually another player with his name in the draft class and they just happened to be drafted seven picks apart.
That made for an awkward moment for the Rams’ Byron Young, an edge rusher out of Tennessee. The other Byron Young, a defensive tackle out of Alabama, was selected seven picks earlier by the Las Vegas Raiders.
During an appearance on the “Rams Revealed” show with J.B. Long this week, Young recalled the draft day mix-up after his agent texted him to say he was being drafted by the Raiders.
“It was hard. There’s one part that a lot of people probably don’t know. There’s another Byron Young that went to the Raiders,” he said. “So I was sitting there – when I first met this guy, I knew one day this would happen – so I was like OK, whatever. Me and him are coming out at the same time. I’m sitting down and my agent texts me, ‘Congratulations.’ I was like, ‘What?’ He was like, ‘You got drafted to the Raiders.’ I’m getting happy and he says, ‘Oh, never mind. They texted the wrong agent.’
Young kept that news to himself and didn’t tell his family initially, only for them to cheer and celebrate when they heard, “The Raiders select Byron Young” on TV.
“So I’m getting upset right now and the Raiders are about to pop up and my family don’t know that,” he continued. “So I’m sitting there and they’re about to say his name so I say, ‘Should I turn off the TV for like three minutes? Or just take this because I knew this day would come?’ I’m sitting there and they say the Raiders draft Byron Young. My family started cheering and I’m just sitting there, just hurt. I was like, ‘That’s not me. That’s not me.’”
Young was initially disappointed but after landing with the Rams, he was thrilled to get a great opportunity in Los Angeles. And fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long for his name to actually be called, going just seven picks later in the third round.
“I had a hard pill to swallow so I took that and was upset but I was just thankful that the Rams were right for me,” he added. “Good things happen to the people that wait so I knew god had a plan for me and I’m here now, so I’m happy.”
Young is having a great rookie season, leading all first-year players with 29 total pressures and ranking third with 16 total stops, according to Pro Football Focus. He even won NFL Rookie of the Week for his performance in Week 6 for his performance against the Arizona Cardinals.
Young is on his way to becoming a very good pro after a winding path to the NFL, and that draft day mix-up is now just part of his incredible story thus far.
Byron Young won Rookie of the Week honors for Week 6, the third time a Rams player has taken home the award this season
How good has the Los Angeles Rams’ rookie class been this year? The NFL hands out Rookie of the Week honors after each week and Rams players have won the award half the time this season.
Puka Nacua won it in Weeks 2 and 4, and now Byron Young has added the award to his resume. He was named the NFL’s Pepsi Rookie of the Week for his performance on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
In that 26-9 win, he recorded six tackles, one sack, two quarterback hits and a forced fumble. The other rookies he beat out in Week 6 were C.J. Stroud, Julius Brents, Michael Mayer, Zay Flowers and Devon Witherspoon.
Young has been a stud for the Rams all season, leading all rookie in pressures and quarterback hits. He wasn’t a first-rounder, either. The Rams landed him in the third round and he already looks like a steal.
It’s rare for rookie edge rushers to have such an immediate impact, let alone as a third-round pick.
Byron Young is only 6 games into his NFL career but he’s already shown so much potential as a pass rusher
The Los Angeles Rams may have struck gold in the third round of the draft this year by selecting Byron Young out of Tennessee. He was taken 77th overall and through six weeks, he’s been arguably the best rookie edge rusher in the NFL – better than Tyree Wilson, Will Anderson Jr. and every edge rusher taken ahead of him.
Through Week 6, Young has the most pressures (25) and quarterback hits (8) of any rookie in the NFL. His pass-rush grade of 74.2 is the fourth-best of any rookie defender and his overall grade of 71.6 is the 10th-best among all first-year players.
There’s still plenty of room for him to improve, but considering he only played two years of Division I football and is just six games into his NFL career, he’s been better than the Rams could have hoped.
Young isn’t just using his 4.43 speed to win pass-rush reps, either. He’s not sprinting upfield without a plan, hoping to get around the offensive tackle. He’s already developed a good repertoire of pass-rush moves, which were on display Sunday against the Cardinals.
Brandon Thorn shared a four-play cutup of Young’s performance in Week 6 and he showed off speed, quickness and excellent hand technique to beat D.J. Humphries at left tackle. He also won on a twist with Kobie Turner on the interior to apply quick pressure on Josh Dobbs.
Byron Young winning with an inside chop x 2, outside chop and with a ghost move as the looper on a twist = juice pic.twitter.com/D46uXtnF8e
Young is still so early in his career, but he has immense potential as an edge rusher. Sean McVay said Monday night on the “Coach McVay Show” that he just keeps getting better every week, which is absolutely the truth. It’s scary to think about how good he’s going to be by the end of this season and even two, three years from now.
After cutting Leonard Floyd this offseason, the Rams desperately needed to find an impactful edge rusher. They appear to have found one in Young, who has been everything they hoped he’d be – and more.
The Rams needed a home run draft class this year and that’s exactly what they got, leading all teams in rookie snaps played
After parting ways with several key veteran starters in the offseason, the Los Angeles Rams were in desperate need of a home run in the draft – and not just with their top pick. They had to land several impact rookies on Day 2 and 3, and that’s exactly what Les Snead and Sean McVay did.
Through the first six weeks of the season, no team in the NFL has gotten more from its draft class than the Rams. According to Pro Football Focus, the Rams’ non-quarterback rookies have played 1,453 snaps, which is more than any team in the league.
The Texans are close behind, so including C.J. Stroud would obviously put them ahead of the Rams, but it’s remarkable how much the Rams have gotten out of their rookies this year, despite not having a first-round pick.
Most snaps from rookie non-QBs: Rams 1453 Texans 1415 Cardinals 1408 Bears 1340 Packers 1163 Seahawks 1135 Patriots 1031
The four players who have really led the way in the 2023 class are Steve Avila, Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Puka Nacua. All four of them are key contributors, earning starting roles early in their careers. If not for them, the Rams probably wouldn’t be 3-3 right now heading into Week 7.
Avila has had some up-and-down performances but for the most part, he’s been outstanding. He has the seventh-best overall grade of any rookie lineman this season, according to PFF, allowing just two sacks.
Turner and Young are both among the 10 highest-graded rookie defenders this year, too. Turner ranks ninth with a grade of 72.1, while Young is 10th at 71.6. Young’s 25 total pressures are the most of any rookie and Turner’s eight pressures rank sixth in the class.
Nacua, obviously, has been a stud at wide receiver. His 82.2 overall grade is the highest of any rookie this year and overall, he’s 12th among all wideouts in the NFL – regardless of draft class.
Nick Hampton and Ochaun Mathis have gotten snaps at outside linebacker for the Rams, too, and Ethan Evans has been a fantastic rookie punter with his powerful leg. And at least for the time being, Zach Evans is likely to be the starting running back with Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers out.
It was impressive enough that all 14 draft picks made the 53-man roster, but several of them have already played key roles. The Rams appear to have hit a home run in 2023.
Matthew Stafford is the highest-graded QB of Week 6, but he’s not the only Rams player who ranks among the best at their positions
It’s amazing how one good half of football can change the narrative surrounding an entire game. That was the case for the Los Angeles Rams, who failed to score a touchdown in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday before outscoring them 20-0 in the final two quarters.
They cruised to a 26-9 victory at home, in large part because of the way Kyren Williams, Matthew Stafford and the offensive line played in the second half. The defenses wasn’t too bad, either, allowing zero second-half points to Arizona.
When Pro Football Focus released its game grades for the Rams’ win, there were several players who received high praise from the analytics site. Stafford was chief among them, ranking as the highest-graded quarterback in the league for Week 6 with a grade of 90.0. The next-closest quarterback is Kirk Cousins, who had a grade of 83.5.
Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert still have to play on Monday night, but Stafford has been the best quarterback of the week so far. Seven other Rams players were also graded among the best players at their respective positions, all of them ranking in the top six.
Matthew Stafford: 90.0 (1st among QBs)
Kyren Williams: 84.8 (3rd among RBs)
Cooper Kupp: 87.0 (2nd among WRs)
Kevin Dotson: 86.1 (2nd among OL)
Rob Havenstein: 82.7 (6th among OL, 3rd among OTs)
Byron Young: 87.3 (3rd among edge rushers)
Aaron Donald: 85.2 (2nd among DTs)
Cobie Durant: 81.4 (6th among CBs)
All eight of the above players were instrumental in the Rams’ victory, with five representing the offense and three on defense. Dotson and Havenstein were dominant on the right side of the line, particularly in the run game, while it was Donald and Young applying constant pressure on Josh Dobbs in the pocket. Williams, Kupp and even Durant were excellent, too.
The Rams are building some momentum with this victory, heading into Week 7 when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers. Football is the ultimate team sport and it’s always good to see a collection of players like the one above come through with some stellar performances.
Here are our studs and duds from the Rams’ 26-9 victory over the Cardinals in Week 6.
The Los Angeles Rams were able to bounce back from last week’s 23-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 26-9 on Sunday. With their Week 6 win over the Cardinals, the Rams have improved to 3-3 on the season.
The Rams were down 9-6 at halftime to the Cardinals before outscoring them 20-0 in the final two quarters. Moving the ball and scoring in the second half has been an issue for the Rams this season, so it was a positive sign to see them deliver when they needed to on Sunday.
Following the lopsided win against the Cardinals, here are our studs and duds from the Rams in Week 6.
