Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: S Christian Young - Future LB in Waiting?

A bit of a tweener size-wise and athletically, the Seattle Seahawks will take a close look at former Arizona standout Christian Young as a box safety with the ability to play linebacker in passing situations.

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jun 13, 2023 1:45 PM EDT

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason activities well underway league-wide, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in less than two months, officially ushering in the 2023 season.

To celebrate the new incoming season, I will be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2023 campaign.

Christian Young, Safety

Height/Weight: 6-1, 221 pounds

2022 Stats*: 76 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups

*College stats at Arizona

Immediately making an impact as a true freshman at Arizona after a stellar prep career at Foster High School in Richmond, Texas, Young played in all 12 games with a pair of starts, including seeing action at boundary cornerback. He slid full-time to safety as a sophomore, starting six games and improving his numbers to 25 tackles, two forced fumbles, and three pass breakups.

Built more like a linebacker than a defensive back, Young transitioned to the Wildcats' "Viper" role, a hybrid safety/linebacker position in coordinator Don Brown's defense, after an injury-plagued 2020 season. Staying healthy in his final two seasons with the program, he amassed 144 combined tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and five pass breakups. Following a disappointing pro day performance, he went undrafted and signed with the Seahawks as a free agent.

Best-Case Scenario: Playing like Kam Chancellor during the preseason as a reserve box safety and contributing on kick and punt coverage units, Young impresses enough to return as a member of Seattle's practice squad and dresses for a pair of regular season games.

Worst-Case Scenario: Lacking the overall athleticism and quickness to be effective in coverage, Young gets exploited in camp and the first exhibition game, resulting in his release in mid-August.

What to Expect in 2023: Production-wise, Young posted quality numbers in five seasons at Arizona, proving to be a capable run defender and handling coverage duties against tight ends and bigger receivers. However, unlike several other undrafted rookies battling for snaps with the Seahawks, he doesn't have enough athletic juice or ball skills to play free safety or cornerback, and that lack of versatility will hurt his chances of standing out in a crowded secondary group.

In the long run, if Young opted to add a bit more muscle to push past 230 pounds, his best shot at making it in the NFL may be as a linebacker. As things stand, he has enough flaws in his game and obvious athletic deficiencies that will make earning a spot on the roster or practice squad as a safety a major challenge.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Profiles