When the Las Vegas Raiders drafted Byron Young in the 2023 NFL Draft, there was some uncertainty about whether they made the right choice. ESPN Radio host Q Myers has expressed doubts. The draft saw two Byron Youngs being selected: the Raiders picked Byron Young, a defensive tackle from Alabama, with the seventh pick of the third round (No. 70 overall), while the Los Angeles Rams chose Byron Young, a defensive end from Tennessee, just seven picks later.
Myers has since suggested that the Raiders might have inadvertently chosen the wrong player, stating, “This is just me — I don’t know this for a fact. I definitely think they selected the wrong one. It seems like an issue of attention to detail, and again, I don’t know this. It could just end up being a funny coincidence, but I remember when the Rams selected their Byron Young, a lot of people questioned if the Raiders were really supposed to take the Alabama one. Well, he’s no longer with the Raiders. Just throwing it out there.”
Almost two years later, @YourboyQ254 still isn’t convinced the Raiders meant to draft Alabama DT Byron Young instead of Tennessee DE Byron Young, who the Rams took seven picks later 🤣🤣 https://t.co/5V0tvmL238 pic.twitter.com/Dt06P27yYB
— ESPN Radio (@ESPNRadio) January 14, 2025
There seems to be some merit to this speculation, particularly since shortly before the 2023 NFL Draft, Chad Reuter published a mock draft on NFL.com. In it, he had projected that the Raiders would select their Byron Young in the fourth round (No. 109 overall), yet they took him a round earlier. Conversely, he had anticipated the Rams would draft the other Byron Young at No. 64 overall, the first pick of the third round. Thus, had the Raiders picked him at No. 70, they might have secured a slight bargain.
It’s important to note, however, that mock drafts can be highly inaccurate and become less reliable the further into the rounds they go. Nonetheless, it’s evident that the Rams have reaped considerable success with their Byron Young, who tallied eight sacks during his rookie season and followed with 7.5 sacks in 2024. In contrast, Vegas’ Young participated in just six games in his rookie year and was waived before the 2024 season started, only to be claimed by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he has since been sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
Ultimately, even if the Raiders did select the right player, they would likely welcome the chance for a do-over regarding their selection of Byron Young.
