Byron Young Mocked As First-Rounder By Mel Kiper

Former Tennessee edge rusher Byron Young drew a first-round grade from ESPN's Mel Kiper.

Edge rusher Byron Young is beginning to receive more attention from the NFL community. A few weeks ago, it felt like analysts were down on the Tennessee defender, but he has gotten some hype in the last few days.

PFF's Trevor Sikkema named Young as one of five "under-the-radars" prospects in the 2023 class. Young had a decorated career on Rocky Top with an excellent personal evaluation but wasn't getting much mock draft attention.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. released his first-round mock draft on Wednesday, in which Young found himself as a first-round pick. Kiper had him slotted at No. 20 overall to the Seattle Seahawks, who are coming off a first-round playoff exit.

"We're back with another Seattle pick here after I projected general manager John Schneider to take a quarterback at No. 5. Let's focus on the defense. The Seahawks struggled against the run this season, and we know coach Pete Carroll loves toolsy edge defenders. L.J. Collier didn't work out in Round 1 in 2019, but Darrell Taylor, a Round 2 pick in 2020, is coming off a breakout 9.5-sack season. Bruce Irvin made his way back to the team in 2022 too."

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