Raiders 3rd Rd. Pick DT Byron Young, Alabama
HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off the 2023 NFL Draft with an exceptional haul of young players to help the Silver and Black on their road back to success.
One of those players is defensive tackle Byron Young, who they selected in the third round. You can watch his press conference below and read the transcript:
Las Vegas Raiders third-round pick (No. 70 overall) – Defensive Tackle Byron Young
Q: You are a beast when it comes to stopping the run. You're a guy who takes a bunch of space. Will you talk about that because it's a certain mindset that says: "Listen, you're not running where I'm at.'
Young: "Yes sir. I mean, that's what I was coached to do at Alabama and really in high school. That was something that we always put a lot of emphasis on. When I got to Alabama that was the first thing we did at practice. Every day we started out with striking the sled and starting out with playing the run because at Alabama our first job was to attack the blocker, and we had to earn the right to rush the passer. And so, for us that meant stopping them on first and second downs, making negative plays, getting them behind the line of scrimmage and getting an obvious third down where they had to pass the ball. So, I mean, it's something I've been coached on really, really hard, and it's something I take a lot of pride in."
Q: You've been on record as saying that any team that drafts you, and obviously, the Raiders did, is getting a winner and you're a guy who could go into a locker room and become a leader and change the culture or make the culture better. Well, obviously, the Raiders are continuing to try to bring winners into the locker room and try to continue that culture. Where does that mentality come from and what are you going to bring to this Raiders locker room?
Young: "I think the mentality really comes from how my parents raised me. My parents always raised me to be a winner. And then when I got to Alabama that's something that we always harped on too. And so, I haven't lost many games in my career, and I would love it if I can go in and just really help improve the culture and continue to go in there and impact everybody in a positive way. Like you said, I think they will be getting a great player, but also a current player who can transition into becoming a leader because they already have a line of great guys on the team like Chandler Jones, Maxx Crosby, they drafted Tyree [Wilson] earlier. So, it's going to be a deep group of guys up there, man. But I just want to come in and I want to impact it right away and I just want to give them everything I can."
Q: When evaluating the game film, you had a good stretch there against Ole Miss and LSU where you racked up 3.5 sacks during that time span. Can you just talk about the growth that you gained just from those two games alone?
Young: "I think that was me really being able to showcase how I could pass rush. I know a lot of people had questions about if I could pass rush, and some people were calling it a down spot in my game. But I wanted to go out at the end of the year and really show that I could pass rush. I think I got a lot more opportunities. So, I was just able to go out there and show what I could do."
Q: How much do you think that really helped boost your profile? Do you feel like that opened the eyes of some people to enable you to be a high pick in the draft?
Young: "Yes, I think it did. I think it showed people that I do have the ability to rush the passer, especially when I'm given the opportunity. I feel like at Alabama sometimes we didn't. We win a lot of games and so that didn't really give me the opportunity to showcase all the time what I could do one-on-one. So, I think those last few games, I got the opportunity and I really took advantage of it."
Q: At the Senior Bowl, one of your coaches was Matt Edwards, who's with the Raiders. What was your experience being coached by him through that process?
Young: "It was great. I loved Coach Edwards when we were at the Senior Bowl. He seemed like a coach who obviously cared about his players. He seemed like a coach who really knew what he was doing and who wanted the best for his players. And I mean, that's really what I want to be around. I think he is really contributing to winning up there and that's something I really want to be around. I think that the whole Raiders team is just going in a positive direction."
Q: You mentioned your ability to get the sacks during that stretch last year was a matter of opportunity. I read somewhere that your 28 pressures were more last season than you'd had your previous three seasons combined. Was it simply a matter of opportunity, or is there at some point where we're like a light came on for you?
Young: "I would probably say it was opportunity, but maybe a little bit of a light because before this past year I wasn't taking the bulk of the reps. He had other guys in front of me like LaBryan Ray, Phidarian Mathis, Christian Barmore for those first few years that I was there. So, a lot of times I might not have been in on the third downs or the obvious passing situations just because those guys are older than they had already earned that opportunity. But I got the opportunity, especially later in the year and you know, coach put me out there and he led me show what could do, so I think it was a little bit of both."
Q: You mentioned the Senior Bowl. I was wondering, did you get the opportunity to meet with Patrick Graham on that particular occasion? And did you guys have any sort of conversations? How did those go?
Young: "I don't think I met with him during the Senior Bowl, but when I was at the combine, I had a formal interview with the Raiders and I met him in there, and I met really the whole coaching staff and it was a great experience. It was a great experience."
Q: I want to want to get your thoughts on being at a program like Alabama and playing in as many games as you did. I mean, you got a lot of experience over 50 games. What did that do for you? And just how was it being around those guys that have that winning culture like you spoke on earlier?
Young: "I think it helped me a lot. I was able to play a lot of football. I played in every game while I was at Alabama, so I think I played like 54 consecutive games, and that's something I took pride in. There are games where I had little nicks and bruises that I could have sat out for and I probably shouldn't have played, but for me I'm a guy who loves playing football. So, I'm going to go out there whether or not I'm hurt, whether if I'm 100 percenr or if I'm 60. If I feel like I can go help the team, then I'm going to go out there and play. Being around guys like Will Anderson, Bryce Young, Christian Barmore, all kinds of guys that I was around for so many years, I think that helped me grow, and I was able to watch those guys and how they led and that really helped me in my leadership role. And then that helped me off the field just seeing how they carried themselves and things like that. So, being around Alabama and all the players that come to Alabama, it was just a great experience."
Q: Obviously, you played against a lot of great competition and around a lot of great competition as well in practice every day. How much did those guys really push you to be great? How awesome is it to see all of these guys that really pushed you to be great be drafted with you today?
Young: "Yeah, it was great, man. It was great. We all had a lot of competition, guys who got picked a little bit earlier to me, Tyler Steen. Guys that will be picked later, Lord willing, Emil Ekiyor [Jr.], a lot of guys, Bryce [Young], Will [Anderson Jr.]. Every day at practice it was a competition and if you didn't come out to practice the right way then you get left behind. So, it created a great atmosphere. I think sometimes, really, a lot of times practice was harder than the games just because you were going up against such great players. So, I think it prepared me a lot on and off the field."
Q: Where do you see yourself fitting as far as a technique standpoint because you can play so many positions?
Young: "Wherever they put me is where I'm going to play. Like you said, I did play the piano. So, I feel like I'm really able to play anywhere. I'm comfortable playing it all the way out from the nine to really sometimes I was on at the nose. So, really anywhere, man, anywhere they feel like I can be effective, and they feel like I can help the team."
Round 1 No. 7 overall pick: Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech
Round 2 No. 35 overall pick: Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
Round 3 No. 70 overall: Byron Young, DT, Alabama
Round 3 No. 100 overall: Tre Tucker, WR, Cincinnati
Round 4 No. 104 overall: Jakorian Bennett, CB, Maryland
Round 4 No. 135 overall: Aidan O'Connell, QB, Purdue
Round 5 No. 170 overall: Christopher Smith II, S, Georgia
Round 6 No. 203 overall: Amari Burney, LB, Florida
Round 7 No. 231 overall: Nesta Jade Silvera, DT, Arizona State
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