Seahawks Hope 'Grown Man' Cameron Young Will Help Prop Up Run Defense
RENTON, Wash. - Since the day after their surprising 2022 season ended with a playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks have had one clear objective this offseason: becoming more dynamic and tough up front defensively.
But entering last week's 2023 NFL Draft, while that mission had been fulfilled to an extent by signing Dre'Mont Jones and Jarran Reed in free agency, the Seahawks had only three healthy defensive tackles on their roster. After releasing veterans Al Woods and Shelby Harris as cap casualties, the situation was especially dire at nose tackle, where the team had only a recovering Bryan Mone under contract.
However, after attacking skill position groups during the first two days of the draft, the Seahawks made a notable move addressing that concern in the middle of their defensive front, adding one of college football's best interior run defenders in Mississippi State's Cameron Young with the 123rd overall pick in the fourth round.
"He's a grown man," general manager John Schneider said of Young following the conclusion of the draft. "This guy is - his back's almost as wide as Coach [Clint] Hurtt's, and he's super strong at the point of attack. He just plays with just natural God-given strength, and he competes and was really excited we got him."
Staying in state, Young committed to Mississippi State after starring at Franklin County High School in Meadville, Mississippi. Following a redshirt season during his true freshman year, he served as a rotational backup over the next three seasons before finally breaking into the starting lineup full time as a senior in 2022, recording 37 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a sack.
In the aftermath of a breakout season of sorts, Young received an invitation to the annual Senior Bowl and impressed in Mobile, further elevating his draft stock.
Though Young didn't post substantial tackle totals or lofty pass rushing numbers with just two sacks in his entire collegiate career, he proved to be a rock in the heart of the Bulldogs defensive line on early downs. Difficult to move off the ball and capable of holding his own by setting a firm anchor against double teams, he excelled handling the dirty work at the line of scrimmage, a critical attribute for a quality NFL nose tackle.
Considering the Seahawks were abysmal against the run last year and finished 30th out of 32 teams yielding more than 150 rushing yards per game, it's no wonder Young's strengths and skill set appealed to the team.
“I like to describe myself as a dog," Young told reporters via conference call shortly after being drafted by Seattle. "A guy that’s very physical who loves to establish the line of scrimmage and stop the run. But I also got a little twist in there and can rush the passer.”
Weighing in at 304 pounds at the NFL combine back in late February, Young isn't the prototypical build for a space-plugging nose tackle such as Woods or Mone, who both top the scales north of 340 pounds. Nearly 40 pounds lighter, one could jump to the conclusion that his arrival would mean small schematic changes are on the horizon with less emphasis on the nose playing head up covering the center.
But while Young may not be quite as large as his veteran predecessors, coach Pete Carroll has full confidence he can do everything Seattle looks for at the position, as he fights well above his weight class in battles against bigger interior blockers. After a successful college career playing in the vaunted SEC, the Seahawks won't have to reinvent the wheel with him vying for significant snaps right out of the gate.
"This is as stout a player as there is in the college football this year," Carroll commented. "He's physical and tough. He's over 300 pounds and he plays like it and he plays really tough football. So we'll get the same kind of play. It's not any reflection of anything. It's just this is the guy this year that fits the bill."
"He puts his hands on people and they don't move," Schneider added. "He has heavy hands."
Like any incoming rookie, Young will have to earn his keep mixing it up against NFL guards and centers once training camp arrives and a job won't be gift wrapped for him. Based on comments from Schneider and Carroll after Saturday's final day of the draft, the organization still has hopes to bring back Woods and/or Poona Ford, who remains unsigned as an unrestricted free agent, to continue filling out Seattle's defensive interior.
But with a tight financial situation and limited cap space to work with at the moment, Young couldn't have possibly asked for a better situation to play a ton of snaps early for a Seahawks squad desperate for help against the run. Even if Woods or Ford does return down the line, with Mone unlikely to be ready to play for the start of the regular season coming off a torn ACL, he's poised to take on a sizeable role at the nose tackle spot from day one.
Landing where he wanted to be all along after meeting with the organization multiple times during the pre-draft process, the gritty Young can't wait to bring his blue collar mentality to the field and reward the Seahawks for taking a chance on him as key cog in their rebuilt defensive line.
“They’ve been talking to me throughout this whole process. I knew that was a place where I wanted to go. With them already having Mississippi State players already there, I think I’ll fit in.”
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