The Las Vegas Raiders made a bit of a surprise pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by taking Alabama defensive tackle Byron Young 70th overall. Young was ranked 118th on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board and 133rd on Pro Football Network’s, mainly because his pass-rush skills are a work in progress. However, he can be a force against the run.
In 2021, Young ranked fourth among all FBS defensive tackles with an 88.8 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus. That was due in part to the 17 defensive stops he logged and he finished inside the top 10 for SEC defensive tackles with a run stop rate of 9.