Byron Young’s remarkable story has taken him from Dollar General assistant manager to third-round NFL Draft pick to now an NFL All-Rookie team selection.
The former Vol and Los Angeles Rams rookie EDGE rusher was named to the Pro Football Writers Association NFL All-Rookie team on Tuesday after a remarkable debut year.
Young’s tenacity and aggression carried over from Tennessee to Los Angeles as the former Vol greatly out-performed his third-round draft pick status. Young finished his rookie season with eight sacks, the second-most among rookies in the NFL, only trailing his current teammate and fellow rookie Kobie Turner.
While many thought the Rams were going to rebuild this year, stellar mid-round selections such as Young, Turner, and star receiver Puka Nacua helped propel Los Angeles to the playoffs.
Byron Young finished his debut season with 61 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, 19 (!) QB hits, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Young forced himself into being a key player for Los Angeles this season as he started 17 out of the Rams’ 18 total games.
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Waiting for his chance to play collegiate football, Young worked at Dollar General, Circle K, and Burger King to keep his hopes and dreams alive back in the day. Opportunity would eventually strike as a tryout with Georgia Military College for the 2019 season would be the jumping-off point to an eventual NFL career.
After one year with Georgia Military College, the program’s football season was shut down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Young searching for answers once again.
After compiling his highlight tapes and training footage, Young eventually started to receive offers ahead of the 2021 season – one of those calls being the ticket that took him to Tennessee.
Young played on Rocky Top for two seasons before being drafted in the third round with the 77th overall pick by the Rams. Young burst onto the scene during his junior season in 2021 but took his game to another level during his final season in 2022.
Young was a Fourth Team All-SEC selection in 2021, a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week in 2022, an East-West Shrine Bowl Breakout Player of the Week in 2022, a 2022 All-SEC Second Team selection, a 2022 All-SEC First Team selection, a 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl participant, and a 2023 NFL Combine invitee.
Perhaps Young’s best moment at Tennessee came after his final play on the field, though. Following his last game at Tennessee, the 2022 Orange Bowl victory over Clemson, Young recalled the decision he made to not opt out of the bowl game and continue to play with his teammates. The conviction and passion that Young spoke with, explaining how he couldn’t turn his back on his teammates and coaches, talking about the decisions he prayed over and sought council from with religious figures, all led to a memorable performance against Clemson in his final game as a Volunteer.
Young’s heart, toughness, and determination are three factors that influenced his success at Tennessee and led him to become one of the NFL’s most dangerous young defensive players in the league today.
Byron Young is one of two Tennessee rookies who was named to the PWFA All-Rookie team, joining Chicago right tackle Darnell Wright.
