Las Vegas’ selection of Byron Young at No. 70 in this year’s NFL Draft went beyond what the Raiders saw from the Alabama defensive tackle on the field.
“We’re still at the beginning stages of developing this program and laying the foundation for the type of program that we want here in Las Vegas,” Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler said, “and so, Byron has a lot of the traits. He’s been part of a winning program, part of a program that’s demanding and kind of a championship-caliber breed. And so bringing players in with that kind of DNA that can add to what we’re already putting together, we think what he’s about and he’s experienced, there’s a lot of similarities with things that we value. To have a guy like that to kind of be one of the leaders of the rookie class with his ideals and his experiences, I think that’s going to help the whole group.”
· WHEN WILL BRYCE YOUNG PLAY FOR THE PANTHERS?
· ALABAMA ROOTS: BEST UNDRAFTED PLAYERS
· CAM NEWTON: ‘YOU’RE SCARING PEOPLE WITH HOW YOU LOOK’
The Raiders got a close look at Young’s off-the-field qualities at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in January, when Las Vegas defensive coordinator Patrick Graham served as the head coach for one of the all-star teams. The Raiders’ 2023 draft class included five players from the Senior Bowl – Young and Cincinnati wide receiver Tre Tucker on the second day and Maryland cornerback Jakorian Bennett, Georgia safety Christopher Smith II and Arizona State defensive tackle Nesta Jade Silvera on the third.
“That was a big part of the process for us,” Ziegler said after picking Young and Tucker. “It was really valuable. Pat was able to – and Matt Edwards, one of our defensive-line coaches was also there helping out on staff, and so we were able to get a lot of intel from them. A lot of the character, the background, the classroom stuff, and I think that one thing that stood out on both of those guys was just their professional demeanor, their passion for football, their ability to learn, so not a lot of maintenance that comes in, some of the extra stuff that’s beyond the field stuff with those guys, because you can’t learn that unless you’re there coaching -- how they prepared, how they handled themselves, how they interacted with their coaches, how they took instruction. Both of those guys really excelled in those two areas at the Senior Bowl.
“Then again, we were able to watch a lot of the Senior Bowl practices on tape, so we were able to kind of collab on what that looked like, and we thought both those guys had good performances down there. But the most valuable stuff was the stuff that we couldn’t see at practice, which was behind the scenes, and both of those guys excelled in those two areas.”
The Raiders entered the offseason aiming to improve their defensive line. Las Vegas finished 19th among the 32 NFL teams in rushing yards allowed in the 2022 season, and only six teams yielded more rushing touchdowns than the Raiders.
Las Vegas’ sack total of 27 was third-worst in the NFL last season, even though Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby recorded 12.5.
Las Vegas lost defensive tackle Andrew Billings in free agency after he started 14 games last season. Bilal Nichols returns after starting 17. Also back on the defensive interior are former Los Angeles Chargers’ first-round pick Jerry Tillery and second-year players Matthew Butler and Neil Farrell Jr., a former Murphy High School standout.
The Raiders also signed 11-year veteran John Jenkins and drafted Young and Silvera for their defensive interior.
“There’s going to be a lot of competition in that defensive-tackle room,” Ziegler said. “Everyone’s going to have to buckle up and bring their best every day because there’s going to be a lot of hungry people in that room.”
What Young brings to the room, Ziegler said, includes “his length and power, his explosive ability to reset the line of scrimmage in the run game and also use his length and leverage to disrupt the pocket.”
That’s from the Raiders’ on-the-field evaluation on Young during his four seasons at Alabama.
“I think being able to perform in big games also against other, I’d say, high-level competition,” Ziegler said. “Obviously, Byron playing in the SEC, he gets a lot of that week-in and week-out. But also playing in big bowl games and things of that nature. Seeing guys perform at a high level in some of the bigger moments that they get to experience at the college level definitely has an impact. …
“All those instances where we’re able to see these guys play against other top-level competition, it holds some weight when you’re going through the evaluation process.”
The Raiders have their rookie minicamp scheduled for Friday through Sunday.
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.