Now back at practice, Raider rookie Byron Young could continue rise

By Case Keefer (contact)

Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023 | 2 a.m.

Kansas State moved the ball right down the field on Alabama in the opening drive of last season’s Sugar Bowl until the Crimson Tide shifted defensive tackle Byron Young outside on a first-down play in their territory.

Young, primarily known as a run-stopping, gap-filler throughout his four-year career in Alabama looked like much more than that as he burst through the line and hit Kansas State quarterback Will Howard to force an interception. Young remained a nuisance for the Wildcats the rest of the day as the Crimson Tide rolled to a 45-20 victory.

It was a fitting sendoff for the 6-foot-3, 292-pound defensive tackle who seemed to save his best days as a college football player for last with a torrid final two months as a senior.

“He’s played great,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said of Young in a postgame news conference three games before, when the defensive tackle almost single-handedly secured a victory over Ole Miss late in the game. “He’s played really well for us all year and he’s a good leader on the team. It means a lot to him and I’m glad to see him doing well.”

The Raiders are hoping the 22-year-old Young continues his upward trajectory after taking him in the third round, with the 70^th overall pick, in this year’s NFL Draft. This year’s draft class is a potentially foundational one for Las Vegas, even though two of the top three picks have gotten off to delayed starts.

Edge rusher Tyree Wilson has not yet been on the practice field while he recovers from a foot injury suffered near the end of at season at Texas Tech. Young also missed the first 10 practices of training camp with an undisclosed injury but returned earlier this week.

Young may not command as much attention as Wilson or second-round tight end Michael Mayer, but he could wind up being every bit as essential. And, like his two bigger-name rookie classmates, Young could contribute in a big way immediately.

Las Vegas is unsettled among the interior defensive line, a position group where it was mediocre a year ago. Returning starters Bilal Nichols and Jerry Tillery have played well in training camp and appear most likely to claim the majority of the snaps, but they’re both veterans known as better pass rushers than run stuffers.

The hope is that Young can do both, merging the space-eating tag he earned early throughout most of his college career with the revelatory ability to pressure the pocket he showed late. He figures to be right in the mix with players like second-year defensive tackles Matthew Butler and free-agent signings John Jenkins and Adam Butler for a role going into the start of the season.

Neil Farrell Jr., another expected defensive-line contributor, is on the non-football injury list and hasn’t yet practiced.

“It’s going to be a deep group of guys up there,” Young said in a call with reporters after he was drafted. “I just want to come in and I want to impact it right away. I just want to give them everything I can.”

The Raiders brought along Farrell, a fourth-round pick in 2022, and Matthew Butler, a fifth-round pick in 2022, slowly a year ago as they both spent more gamedays on the inactives list than on the field. Don’t assume Young will follow a similar path.

There’s only so much evaluation that can come out of non-padded practice opportunities rookie minicamp and offseason team activities in May and June, but buzz grew that Young was ready to play.

“Hard-worker, smart, tough, dependable, loves football, a lot of the traits we’re looking for,” Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler described Young in April after drafting him. “And he’s kind of a self-made guy so we’re really excited to get him and have some of his versatility. He brings another level of competition on both inside and the defensive end position for us.”

Young becoming a difference-maker early in his professional career would build on a rapid rise that started about midway through his last season at Alabama. He was always going to get a shot in the NFL after playing all four years at Alabama and never missing a game, but the climb up draft boards came late when he began showing game-changing ability.

A short, late surge can be a red flag in some scouting circles with a preference towards players who were more consistently excellent throughout their college careers but Young makes for an interesting case. He says his breakout was less about capability, and more about opportunity.

If he had chosen to go somewhere other than the one of college football’s powerhouse programs as a top-100 recruit out of high school in Laurel, Miss., he would have been turned loose to star and rush the passer more often. But with the Crimson Tide, he welcomed playing a complementary role to players like Will Anderson, the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s draft to Texans, and Christian Barmore, a third-year standout with the New England Patriots.

“At Alabama, we won a lot of games, and that didn’t really give me the opportunity to showcase all the time what I could do one-on-one,” Young said. “So, I think those last few games, I got the opportunity, and I really took advantage of it.”

Young was solid against Kansas State, but he was spectacular against his home-state school, Ole Miss, in the game that had Saban singing his praises afterwards. Alabama was trailing 17-7 with two minutes to go in the first half before Young forced a fumble that led to a touchdown on a short field.

Then, at the end of the game with Alabama clinging to a 30-24 lead, Ole Miss advanced down to the 14-yard line on a potential game-winning drive. Young stepped up from there, pressuring opposing quarterback Jaxson Dart on two of Ole Miss’ final three plays — dragging him down for a no-gain scramble on second-down and a sack for a loss of six yards of third down.

“It was emotional because it was a big spot in the game,” Young told Sports Illustrated afterwards. “I go out and try to play the same, go out to try to do my job and do everything the coaches need from me.”

The Raiders are banking on takeover stretches like that being repeatable for Young, and not a blip that spiked during a high point of a long stint in college football. There’s optimism that will be the case, especially with Young vowing to take the same approach he used at Alabama in Las Vegas.

“Wherever they put me is where I’m going to play,” Young said. “Anywhere they feel like I can be effective and they feel like I can help the team.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or