Byron Young is This Draft’s Jekyll and Hyde

The hardest evaluations are of the guys like Byron Young who flash first-round ability and then disappear on game film.

Nothing is also more frustrating to watch – – or write about.

Prospects like this can also become a source of great frustration for an NFL fanbase and coaching staff.

The old saying in football is that the game is won or lost from the neck up. My scouting mentor taught me that when a player shows he can do it, but isn’t, something is going on upstairs.

It’s in him to do it, but nobody can bank on when or if it’s going to come out.

Young flashes elite ability

Young popped onto my radar thanks to the most recent Pro Football Focus first-round mock draft at No. 22.

To be honest, there are too many prospects and not enough time, but when I saw the love he was getting from them, I thought I would turn on the tape leaving no stone unturned in our quest to come up with the top-32.

Much of the Purdue game, I was wondering if they made a typo on their mock. Young looked soft and he got easily blocked for much of the game.

However, then I started seeing it the more I watched.

By the end of my three game study, I didn’t have any more room on my page of notes for positive comments (or negative ones either).

That is what he is.

Georgia game

I have to set this section aside – – that’s how good Young looked on two particular pass rushes against the Bulldogs.

Young managed to get off the blocking efforts of the offensive tackles and he attacked the quarterback with reckless abandon.

He got after it, hunted them down and made two devastating sacks.

That’s what he’s capable of.

How important is football to him?

This is one of Hall of Fame Coach Bill Parcells critical factors of scouting.

I learned it when I was on his staff in pro scouting with the Jets.

I am left asking myself this question, because it’s the only thing I can come up with.

Where should he be on the draft board?

I don’t think an NFL team can afford to gamble on Young in the first-round.

While he has first-round ability, it’s not dependable.

It’s hard enough to win in this league.

What happens if the team he ends up on has a bad record?

What happens when he gets paid?

#6 Byron Young 6-foot-3, 245 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Grade: Second-Round – Fall 2022 Report

2021 game film reviewed: Purdue, Ole Miss and Georgia (click to watch games viewed to form this evaluation)

Level of competition: High

2021 stats: 46 tackles (20 solo, 26 assists) 5.5 sacks, 32 pressures (pff.com), 1 pass defended, 1 INT.

Note: Unrated by nflmockdraftdatabase.com as of November 11, 2022

Note: Young’s path from not even playing college football to starring for the No. 1 team in the country is a wild one (pff.com)

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report:

Brute chiseled edge who flashes power, burst and close into the pocket, but then disappears and takes it easy. Below average motor. Showed he can stunt or slip into an inner gap and create disruption. Flashes ability to use hands and win. Once in a blue moon bull rushes with authority. Too often goes half speed, looks soft at the point and got easily handled. Flashes speed on the edge, but more often stalled out. Against the run gets nasty and physical at times, but then gets easily handled, even by the tight-end. Pancaked twice in these three game. Inconsistent tackler. Slides off some tackling attempts. Sometimes will smash things up and make a highlight reel tackle for a loss, but not nearly enough. There is no question he is capable of a lot more than he showed on game film. Played too much touch-tag. A roll of the dice.

What to watch for during the 2022 college football season:

1. What are his sack and pressure numbers?
2. Does he look consistent rushing the passer?
3. How does he look against the run?
4. Does he consistently secure tackles?

The second-round is reserved for guys who have first-round ability, but have some glitches.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated New York Jets and he is the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.