During the third round of the 2023 NFL draft, Byron Young heard his name called twice. Obviously, he wasn’t selected twice, but there was actually another player with his name in the draft class and they just happened to be drafted seven picks apart.
That made for an awkward moment for the Rams’ Byron Young, an edge rusher out of Tennessee. The other Byron Young, a defensive tackle out of Alabama, was selected seven picks earlier by the Las Vegas Raiders.
During an appearance on the “Rams Revealed” show with J.B. Long this week, Young recalled the draft day mix-up after his agent texted him to say he was being drafted by the Raiders.
“It was hard. There’s one part that a lot of people probably don’t know. There’s another Byron Young that went to the Raiders,” he said. “So I was sitting there – when I first met this guy, I knew one day this would happen – so I was like OK, whatever. Me and him are coming out at the same time. I’m sitting down and my agent texts me, ‘Congratulations.’ I was like, ‘What?’ He was like, ‘You got drafted to the Raiders.’ I’m getting happy and he says, ‘Oh, never mind. They texted the wrong agent.’
Young kept that news to himself and didn’t tell his family initially, only for them to cheer and celebrate when they heard, “The Raiders select Byron Young” on TV.
“So I’m getting upset right now and the Raiders are about to pop up and my family don’t know that,” he continued. “So I’m sitting there and they’re about to say his name so I say, ‘Should I turn off the TV for like three minutes? Or just take this because I knew this day would come?’ I’m sitting there and they say the Raiders draft Byron Young. My family started cheering and I’m just sitting there, just hurt. I was like, ‘That’s not me. That’s not me.’”
Young was initially disappointed but after landing with the Rams, he was thrilled to get a great opportunity in Los Angeles. And fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long for his name to actually be called, going just seven picks later in the third round.
“I had a hard pill to swallow so I took that and was upset but I was just thankful that the Rams were right for me,” he added. “Good things happen to the people that wait so I knew god had a plan for me and I’m here now, so I’m happy.”
Young is having a great rookie season, leading all first-year players with 29 total pressures and ranking third with 16 total stops, according to Pro Football Focus. He even won NFL Rookie of the Week for his performance in Week 6 for his performance against the Arizona Cardinals.
Young is on his way to becoming a very good pro after a winding path to the NFL, and that draft day mix-up is now just part of his incredible story thus far.
