The NFL changed uniform rules this offseason to allow players to wear the number zero, which became a popular choice right away. Among those who chose No. 0 for the 2023 season was Rams rookie Byron Young, the edge rusher out of Tennessee.
Young took a winding path to get to the NFL. He didn’t reach the FBS level until 2021 despite starting his college career at Gulf Coast Sports Academy in 2017. In between, he was an assistant manager at Dollar General and also worked at Circle K, providing for himself after high school.
His journey to the pros is a big reason he chose the No. 0, explaining his choice to ESPN recently.
“Where I came from and my journey, [it] was like basically a 0 percent chance for you to make it to this level,” Young said. “I fought through it and now I’m here, so I don’t want to forget that part.”
Young has a chance to contribute early on as a rookie, given the Rams’ need at edge rusher. He’s already penciled in as the starting outside linebacker opposite Michael Hoecht so if he can continue to progress, we’ll be seeing that No. 0 on the field a lot in 2023.
