5 breakout defensive stars for LA Rams Coach Staley in 2020

LB Young

Linebacker Kenny Young will forever be the “other guy” in the trade which sent cornerback Marcus Peters to the Baltimore Ravens for a fifth-round pick. Young was a rapidly improving linebacker while at Baltimore, enjoying the respect of a solid backup linebacker who had stepped up to fill in as the starter on two separate equations. Despite the trust from the Ravens coaching staff to step up for starting snaps, he never seemed to generate that same level of trust from the LA Rams coaching staff.

He was also that guy who welcomed Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew to the NFL with a devastating sack that knocked Minshew’s helmet off. That physical style of play was Young’s trademark as a Ravens part-time starter. In fact, Young started six of the 21 games he played as a Baltimore Raven. As a Raven, he recorded 68 tackles, 2.5 sacks, seven tackles-for-losses, and allowed 19 of 27 passes to be completed.

It was perhaps that 70 percent pass completion rate against him which likely directed him exclusively to the Rams special teams play. But his mid-season arrival likely thwarted his opportunity to contribute on the field for the Rams’ defense. Now the Rams must put his through the paces with their playbook and determine if the 6-foot-1 234-pound interior linebacker has what it takes for a larger role with the Rams in the 2020 NFL season.

Young is a 2018 hybrid defensive player who suffered in his draft stock because scouts could not slot him into a singular defensive role. As we described in a previous article written about Young’s chances to start in 2020:

"“He was too big and slow to be a cornerback. He was too slow and muscular to be an NFL safety. And he was judged to be too small and light to be an effective NFL linebacker. So many teams had no clue how to grade him, to project him onto the NFL."

Since the Rams’ new defensive philosophy emphasizes versatility, he will no doubt get solid looks at the linebacker position. That could be as a starter, or simply as a specialty package for the defense. But his role with the Rams truly depends on his ability to remain in the hip pocket of tight ends and running backs in pass coverage. If he demonstrates the ability to defend the pass consistently, the second starting linebacker position is his to lose.